[ANNALS  N.  V.  ACAD.  Sci.,  VOL.  XIII,  No.  I,  pp.  73  to  360,  Oct.  19,  1900.  ] 

THE  SEQUENCE  OF  PLUMAGES   AND  MOULTS  OF 
THE  PASSERINE  BIRDS  OF  NEW  YORK 

JONATHAN  DWIGHT,  JR. 

(Read  March  13,  1899) 

[Plates  I  to  VII] 
CONTENTS 


PAGE 


I.    INDOOR  STUDY  OF  MOULT  74 

FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES 74 

DETERMINATION  OF  AGE  BY  OSTEOLOGICAL  CHARACTERS 76 

WEAR  OR  FEATHER  DISINTEGRATION 78 

II.    PROCESS  OF  MOULT  82 

PROTECTIVE  SEQUENCE  IN  FEATHER  Loss 83 

ADVANCE  OF  MOULT  IN  THE  FEATHER  TRACTS 84 

1.  Alar  or  Wing  Tracts 87 

2.  Humeral  or  Shoulder  Tracts 93 

3.  Capital  or  Head  Tract 93 

4.  Dorsal  or  Spinal  Tract 94 

5.  Ventral  or  Inferior  Tract 95 

6.  Caudal  or  Tail  Tract.. 96 

7.  Lumbar,  Femoral  or  Thigh  Tracts 97 

8.  Crural  or  Leg  Tracts 97 

III.  EARLY  PLUMAGES  AND  MOULTS  OF  YOUNG  BIRDS 98 

IV.  SEQUENCE  OF  PLUMAGES  AND  MOULTS  101 

1.  Natal  Down  (Postnatal  Moult)  105 

2.  Juvenal  Plumage  (Postjuvenal  Moult) 106 

3.  First  Winter  Plumage  (Prenuptial  Moult) 107 

4.  First  Nuptial  Plumage  (Postnuptial  Moult) 109 

5.  Second  or  Adult  Winter  Plumage  (Prenuptial  Moult) 113 

6.  Second  or  Adult  Nuptial  Plumage  (Postnuptial  Moult) 114 

V.    COLOR  FACTS   versus   COLOR  THEORIES 116 

VI.    OUTDOOR  STUDY  OF  MOULT  124 

SEASONS  OF  MOULT 124 

MIGRATION  AFTER  MOULT 126 

PREPONDERANCE  OF  YOUNG  BIRDS  IN  AUTUMN 128 

VII.  PLUMAGES  AND  MOULTS  OF  NEW  YORK  SPECIES  130 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  MOULT 130 

DESCRIPTIONS  OF  SPECIES  AND  THEIR  MOULTS 135 

VIII.  BIBLIOGRAPHY 318 

(73) 


Univ.  Library-  UC  Santa  Cruz  1991 


74  DW1GHT 

I.    INDOOR  STUDY  OF  MOULT 

Fundamental  Principles 

The  moulting  of  birds  is  a  subject  so  complicated,  so  exten- 
sive, and  so  difficult  of  study,  that  it  is  not  surprising  to  find  it 
wrapped,  even  to-day,  in  dense  clouds  of  ignorance  which  ob- 
scure the  true  principles  underlying  it.  Doubts  have  arisen  even 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  have  come  nearest  to  the  truth,  be- 
cause they  have  been  unable  to  explain  certain  seasonal  discrep- 
ancies in  the  plumage  of  birds,  and  theories  have  sprung  up  and 
flourished.  Theories  not  founded  on  facts,  must  necessarily  fall 
to  pieces  when  the  truth  is  known,  and  the  present  paper  sets 
forth  a  number  of  indisputable  facts  derived  from  personal  inves- 
tigations, which,  rightly  interpreted,  will  explain  not  only  the 
problems  of  moult  and  plumage,  but  also  the  theories  of  those 
whose  published  opinions  differ  widely  from  my  own.  It  is  my 
present  purpose  to  demonstrate  the  principles  dominating  the 
plumages  and  moults  of  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty 
North  American  species  of  the  great  order  Passeres  or  Perch- 
ing Birds,  and  at  the  same  time  indicate  the  wider  application  of 
these  principles,  which  the  study  of  other  groups  leads  me  to 
believe  prevail  among  all  species  of  birds  modified  only  by  cir- 
cumstances. 

The  fundamental  facts  of  moult  have  been  grasped  so  imper- 
fectly by  some  observers,  that  much  theorizing  about  color 
changes  has  taken  the  place  of  actual  information  upon  the  sea- 
sonal variations  of  birds'  plumages,  and  much  superficial  work 
has  been  done,  although  some  excuse  for  it  may  be  found  in 
the  existing  lack  of  suitable  specimens  for  study.  The  folly  of 
guessing  at  age  or  sex  from  plumage  characters  is  exempli- 
fied in  many  collections,  and  museum  collections  especially  con- 
tain many  undated  specimens,  which  are  positive  hindrances 
rather  than  helps  in  settling  vexed  questions  of  moult.  Worse 
than  all  is  the  great  dearth  of  birds  actually  in  process  of  moult. 
My  own  collection  remedies,  in  a  measure,  all  these  defects,  for 
the  subject  of  moult  has  interested  me  for  many  years  and  I 
have  devoted  much  time  to  securing  moulting  birds,  the  sex  of 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  75 

which  has  been  determined  by  dissection,  and  the  age,  when  pos- 
sible, by  osteological  characters.  I  have  obtained  several  thous- 
and of  such  birds  and  studied  them  before  they  were  skinned, 
and  also  prepared  hundreds  of  young  birds  in  early  stages  of 
plumage.  Among  large  series  of  the  commoner  species,  I  have 
birds  taken  every  month  in  the  year  and  oftener,  so  that  not 
only  are  all  the  successive  plumages  illustrated,  but  in  many 
species  all  the  intermediate  transition  stages.  Gaps  in  some  of 
my  series  that-a  lifetime  of  field  work  might  not  fill  have  been 
bridged  to  a  certain  extent  through  the  kind  assistance  of 
friends.  The  extensive  collections  in  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  Histoiy  have  been  put  at  my  disposal  by  Doctor  J.  A. 
ALLEN  and  Mr.  F.  M.  CHAPMAN.  Mr.  WILLIAM  BREWSTER  has 
accorded  me  like  privileges  with  his  private  collection  and  Mr. 
ROBERT  RIDGWAY  has  furnished  me  with  birds  from  the  collection 
of  the  United  States  National  Museum,  while  Mr.  CHARLES  F. 
BATCHELDER,  Mr.  WITMER  STONE  and  Mr.  WILLIAM  PALMER  have 
all  furnished  me  with  specimens  to  throw  light  on  obscure  points. 

Equipped  with  such  material,  it  has  been  possible  for  me  to 
tread  safely  where  others  have  slipped,  and  possessing  in  it  a 
key  which  fits  locks  hitherto  unopened,  I  have  endeavored  to 
use  it  to  the  best  advantage.  There  may  be  little  that  is 
quite  new  in  these  pages,  for  many  have  traversed  the  subject 
before  me,  but  no  one  has  taken  just  my  point  of  view,  and  my 
work  has  been  on  absolutely  independent  lines.  Nothing  what- 
ever has  been  taken  at  second  hand,  and  every  statement  is  for- 
tified by  specimens  to  prove  its  truth.  No  previous  attempt 
has  been  made  to  link  together  the  successive  plumages  of  so 
many  species,  and  yet  this  very  linking  together  of  isolated  facts 
affords  the  only  highroad  by  which  we  may  arrive  at  a  true  un- 
derstanding of  plumage  or  of  moult.  Specimens  are  isolated  facts, 
and  hundreds  of  them  taken  at  the  wrong  season  may  prove 
nothing,  while  one  taken  at  the  proper  time  may  prove  eveiything, 
provided  the  principles  of  moult  are  understood.  Quality  and 
not  quantity  of  material  for  study  determines  its  value. 

Moult  and  plumage  truly  go  hand  in  hand  ;  moult  a  vital 
process  at  definite  intervals  for  the  production  of  new  feathers, 


76  DWIGHT 

plumage  an  assemblage  of  feathers  produced  by  one  or  more 
moults  ;  and  the  underlying  principles  or  laws  by  which  every 
moult  and  every  plumage  may  be  explained  are  the  following  : 

1 .  Every  species  has  a  definite  series  of  plumages  and  moults. 

2.  Moult  is  periodical  feather  growth. 

3.  Moult  is  complete  or  incomplete. 

4.  Moult  is  modified  by  age,  sex  and  individual. 

5.  Plumage  is  renewed  by  moult. 

6.  Plumage  is  modified  by  wear. 

This  is  the  whole  matter  in  a  nutshell — no  "  undiscovered  law 
of  nature,"  no  "  restoration,"  no  "  rejuvenation  "  of  feathers,  no 
"  repigmentation,"  in  fact,  no  "  aptosochromatism,"  what  is  left 
of  it  being  represented  by  the  good  Anglo-Saxon  word  wear. 
The  only  question  to  ask  in  order  to  solve  a  plumage  is  :  When 
did  each  feather  grow  ?  Could  anything  be  simpler  ?  Every 
feather  develops  with  a  definite  color  and  pattern  which  it  re- 
tains modified  only  by  wear  until  the  next  moult.  This  is  the 
A  B  C  of  it  and  only  those  ignorant  of  facts  can  maintain  the 
contrary,  and  assert  that  a  feather  once  grown  can  rebuild  or  re- 
color  itself.  A  mature  feather  is  acknowledged  by  physiologists 
(and  by  everyone  except  those  with  theories)  to  be  a  completed 
appendage  of  the  skin,  cut  off  from  vital  connection  with  the 
body  and  incapable  of  any  but  destructive  changes.  I  shall 
show  that  regenerative  processes  occur  only  by  moult  in  some 
of  the  very  species  that  have  been  exploited  as  undoubted  ex- 
amples of  abnormal  color  change  without  moult,  and  I  hope  to 
protect  other  species  that  as  yet  have  escaped  the  imputation. 
The  highroad  to  such  conclusions  is  not  an  easy  one  to  travel, 
but  those  who  will  begin  at  the  beginning  and  follow  me  will 
find  it  everywhere  avoiding  the  pitfalls  of  doubt,  that  end  in  blind 
theories,  and  leading  straight  to  an  understanding  of  the  signifi- 
cance of  plumage. 


Determination  of  Age  by  Osteological  Characters 

One  of  the  first  essentials  in  the  study  of  moult,   and  one 
hitherto  almost  wholly  disregarded,  is  the  ability  to  distinguish  an 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  77 

old  bird  from  a  young  one.  The  plumage  is,  of  course,  a  guide  in 
many  species,  when  we  know  which  is  which,  but  it  is  surprising 
how  little  is  actually  known  of  autumnal  plumages,  especially  of 
adults.  Fortunately  until  a  young  bird  is  five  or  six  months 
old,  immaturity  may  be  recognized  among  Passerine  species  by 
a  very  simple  osteological  character,  and  one  requiring  no  mi- 
croscope for  its  demonstration.  I  have  made  constant  use  of  it 
for  a  dozen  years  past  and  doubtless  others  have  done  the  same, 
but  as  yet  I  have  never  seen  any  explanation  of  it.  It  is  simply 
this, — the  prominent  frontal  bones  of  the  young  bird  are  thin  and 
transparent  showing  the  brain  beneath,  while  those  of  the  adult  are 
thicker  and  flecked  with  little  whitish  dots,  which  show  even  better 
as  black  dots,  when,  with  the  brain  removed,  the  skull  is  held 
up  to  the  light.  As  the  skull  of  the  young  bird  ossifies,  with 
the  advance  of  the  season,  it  assumes  the  adult  characters,  the 
dotted  area  of  ossification  creeping  irregularly  from  behind  for- 
ward and  from  the  sides  upward,  until  perhaps  a  couple  of  trans- 
parent spots  anteriorly  may  be  all  that  is  left  to  show  immaturity. 
When  these  disappear  this  valuable  diagnostic  feature  is,  of  course, 
lost.  The  dots  mark  the  ends  of  slender  branching  columns  of 
bone  that  partly  fill  the  open  space  between  the  two  tables  of 
the  mature  skull,  and  bind  them  together.  Mutilation,  or  the  in- 
filtration of  blood  or  fluid  from  the  brain,  may  obscure  the  dotted 
appearance,  but  it  is  usually  obvious  at  a  glance. 

This  progressive  ossification  is  scarcely  perceptible  in  any  New 
York  species  before  the  end  of  October,  and  seems  to  be  com- 
pleted in  the  frontal  bones  about  two  months  later.  The  mi- 
grants that  press  further  south  seldom  show  more  than  the  begin- 
ning of  the  process  for  they  have  nearly  all  departed  by  the 
middle  of  October.  Resident  species,  such  as  the  Chickadee 
(Pants  atricapillus),  and  early  nesting  species,  may  complete  the 
ossification  before  the  middle  of  December  ;  early  broods  of  the 
Song  Sparrow  {Melospiza  fasciatd)  at  about  the  same  time,  late 
ones  a  month  later ;  and  late  nesting  species,  such  as  the  Cedar 
Bird  (Ampelis  ccdrontui}  and  Goldfinch  (Splints  tristis),  often 
as  late  as  February.  Many  of  our  winter  visitors  arrive  with 
skulls  incompletely  ossified  ;  the  Horned  Lark  (Otocoris  alpcs- 


78  DWIGHT 

tris)  being  one  of  the  earliest  (early  in  December),  and  the  Tree 
Sparrow  (Spizella  monticola)  one  of  the  latest  (early  in  Janu- 
ary), to  complete  the  ossification.  These  dates  are  approximate, 
but  they  throw  some  light  on  a  neglected  page  of  bird  study 
that  I  now  turn  for  the  first  time.  The  late  ossification  of  other 
bones  should  be  mentioned  in  passing,  but  most  of  them  require 
such  careful  examination  as  to  preclude  their  ready  use  in  deter- 
mining the  age  of  the  bird. 

The  bearing  all  this  matter  has  on  the  question  of  moult  is 
this  :  if,  when  a  species  departs  south  in  the  autumn,  we  know 
exactly  the  plumage  of  the  adult  and  exactly  that  of  the 
young  bird,  it  is  far  easier  to  interpret  the  changes  that  have 
taken  place  in  each  when  they  return  in  the  spring,  for  the 
amount  of  moult  and  the  amount  of  wear  varies  according  to 
age.  The  new  aspect  of  the  plumage  may  be  entirely  due  to 
wear,  to  moult,  or  to  a  combination  of  the  two.  A  method  has 
been  suggested  for  telling  old  from  young  in  the  fall  by  the 
presence  of  sheaths  on  the  primaries  in  adults  and  their  absence 
in  young  birds,  because  the  latter  do  not  usually  moult  these 
feathers  in  assuming  fall  dress,  but  it  fails  both  in  young  birds 
that  do  renew  the  primaries,  and  in  old  birds  that  often  show 
moult  elsewhere  after  the  primaries  have  lost  their  sheaths. 


Wear  or  Feather  Disintegration 

Some  of  the  effects  of  this  complex  process  are  illustrated  on 
plates  I,  II,  IV,  VI  and  VII,  where  a  change  in  the  shape  and 
color  of  feathers  is  produced  by  loss  of  substance,  generally  at 
their  margins.  The  destructive  influences  to  which  feathers  are 
exposed  may  best  be  summed  up  under  the  word  wear,  which 
means  a  great  deal  and  should  be  thoroughly  understood  in 
studying  the  relation  of  plumages  and  moults.  The  chief  fac- 
tors concerned  in  wear  are  abrasion  and  fading,  which  always  go 
hand  in  hand  the  one  mechanical  disintegration,  the  other  chem- 
ical decoloration,  but  there  are  a  number  of  minor  factors  which 
modify  their  effects.  The  age  of  a  feather,  its  position,  its  struc- 
ture, its  color  and  the  habits  of  the  bird,  are  all  matters  that 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  79 

modify  wear.  The  longer  a  feather  is  exposed  to  the  bleaching 
of  the  elements  and  to  the  effects  of  mechanical  abrasion,  the 
more  ragged  in  appearance  it  becomes,  and  the  older  it  is  the 
more  rapid  becomes  its  disintegration  ;  so  that  plumage  showing 
perhaps  comparatively  little  wear  during  the  winter,  will  rapidly 
become  tattered  during  the  few  months  of  the  breeding  season. 

Much  of  the  abrasion  is  not  due  to  external  causes  but  to  the 
attrition  of  the  feathers  themselves  one  upon  another.  This  may 
be  observed,  for  instance,  upon  the  nape  of  the  neck  where  from 
the  constant  movements  of  the  head  the  feathers  become  much 
worn.  The  wing  coverts,  tertiaries  and  scapularies  also  show 
markedly  the  effects  of  opening  and  closing  the  wings.  The 
feathers  of  the  anterior  parts  of  the  body  however  seem  to  suffer 
from  contact  with  leaves  and  grasses  while  the  bird  is  gathering 
its  food  and  the  flight  feathers  of  some  species  show  marked 
wear  depending  also  of  course  upon  their  habits.  It  is  in  all  of 
these  ways  that  position  modifies  wear. 

Another  minor  factor  affecting  wear  and  a  very  important  one 
is  structure.  The  large  strong  remiges  and  rectrices  by  their 
compactness,  as  well  as  the  long-barbed  abdominal  feathers  by 
their  yielding  quality,  both  suffer  less  from  abrasion  than  those 
of  intermediate  weight  and  stiffness.  The  weaker  feathers,  too, 
of  young  birds  are  peculiarly  liable  to  abrasion,  aided  no  doubt 
by  the  clumsy  efforts  at  locomotion  of  the  birds  themselves. 
Even  the  remiges  and  rectrices  are  less  resistant  than  those  of 
the  adult,  the  borders  being  less  compactly  rounded  out  and  the 
pigment  deficient. 

The  color  of  a  feather  is  another  factor  of  considerable  impor- 
tance in  determiningTits  wear,  and  it  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that 
color  may  be  due  to  pigment,  to  optical  effects  produced  by 
structural  interference  with  rays  of  light  or  to  a  combination  of 
the  two.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  black  or  iridescent  feathers  are 
most  resistant  to  wear,  other  things  being  equal,  while  certain 
buffs  and  browns  yield  most  rapidly. 

The  pale  contrasting  borders  and  the  paler  areas  of  the 
feathers  of  many  species  tend  to  decolorize  and  disintegrate  as 
far  as  the  adjacent  dark  portions.  There  are  many  striking 


80  DWIGHT 

illustrations  of  this  among  them,  the  Meadow  Lark  (Sturnclla 
magnd]  (plate  II,  fig.  17)  the  Grasshopper  Sparrow  (Amuw- 
dramus  savannarum  passcrinus)  (plate  II,  fig.  3)  the  Rose- 
breasted  Grosbeak  (Habia  ludoviciand),  and  many  others  where 
bars  and  spots  of  light  color  become  singularly  eroded  during 
the  breeding  season. 

Buff  or  pale-tinted  edgings  of  dark  colored  feathers,  produc- 
ing in  the  plumage  a  veiled  effect,  are  acquired  by  many  species 
at  the  time  of  moult  both  in  the  spring  and  in  the  autumn  and 
seem  to  owe  their  deciduous  character  as  much  to  their  color  as 
to  their  structure.  I  have  examined  hundreds  of  such  feathers 
under  the  microscope  and  can  find  little  evidence  that  they  wear 
down  to  the  black  or  other  darker  color,  because  at  this  point 
an  "interlocking"  or  strengthening  of  the  barbules  takes  place 
as  has  been  stated  and  even  figured.  No  such  conditions  regu- 
larly prevail,  for  the  black  color  often  extends  distally  far  beyond 
the  point  where  the  barbules  cross  and  often  the  breaking  off  of 
the  barbs  either  does  not  reach  the  black,  or  on  the  other  hand, 
the  black  may  be  involved  to  a  considerable  extent,  as  for  in- 
stance in  the  Meadow  Lark  (plate  II,  fig.  14).  It  is  significant, 
however,  that  each  overlying  feather  tip  should  reach  only  to 
the  limits  of  the  black  area  of  the  feather,  beneath,  leaving  its 
pale  margin  wholly  exposed  to  wear.  Veiled  species  are  the 
rule  in' autumn  and  the  loss  of  feather  edgings  produces  remark- 
able color  changes  in  the  plumage,  although  there  is  no 
actual  pigmentary  change  in  the  individual  feathers,  an  im- 
portant difference  to  be  noted.  By  wear  alone  the  brown  Snow- 
flake  (Plectroplienax  nivalis),  for  instance,  becomes  entirely  black 
and  white  in  the  breeding  season  and  the  brown  young  of  the 
Red-winged  Blackbird  (Agclains  plicenicciis}  assumes  a  black 
breeding  dress.  In  these  and  many  other  species  the  actual 
shape  of  the  individual  feathers  is  changed  but  always  by  de- 
struction of  their  substance.  It  is  equally  true  that  whatever 
pigmentary  color  change  takes  place  in  a  feather  there  is  always 
destruction  of  color,  never  a  recoloration.  I  find  no  slightest 
exception,  the  apparent  exceptions  being  optical  delusions.  In 
proof  of  one  such  delusion  I  need  cite  but  two  species  :  the 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  81 

Purple  Finch  ( Carpodacus  purpureus)  and  the  American  Cross- 
bill {Loxia  citrrirostra  minor}  figured  on  plate  VII  which 
shows  at  a  glance  what  has  occurred.  Ordinarily  in  most  spe- 
cies, wear  removes  the  barbs,  bit  by  bit,  so  that  each  terminates 
in  a  V  formed  by  the  barbules  on  either  side.  In  the  case 
of  these  two  as  well  as  other  species,  the  barbs  of  certain 
feathers  are  blunt  and  heavy  and  the  barbules  are  gradually 
lost,  leaving  them  bare.  Such  barbs  are  apparently  brighter 
red  than  when  the  grayish  barbules  between  them  produce  an 
effect  that  to  the  eye  is  pinkish.  This  is  the  "brightening" 
that  has  also  been  observed  in  certain  Finches,  for  instance  the 
Redpoll  (Acanthis  linarid)  and  its  allies,  but  it  is  not  "  repig- 
mentation  "  nor  even  "  recoloration."  The  red  color  is  in  the 
barbs  when  the  feather  grows  in  the  autumn  and  the  eye  is 
simply  deceived. 

There  is  still  another  factor  that  modifies  wear, — the  habits  of 
a  species  or  of  the  individual.  Birds  that  live  from  morning  till 
night  in  the  air,  like  the  Swallows,  the  Flycatchers,  the  Vireos 
and  some  of  the  Warblers,  suffer  little  wear  from  outside  sources 
while  Sparrows  and  other  grass-loving  species,  are  prone  to  be- 
come exceedingly  ragged  in  a  veiy  short  time.  No  better  ex- 
amples can  be  cited  than  the  Sharp-tailed  Sparrow  (Ammodra- 
mus  caudacutus),  the  Bobolink  (Dolichonyx  oryzivorus)  and  the 
Long-billed  Marsh  Wren  {CistotJwnis  palustris)  all  of  which 
species,  by  clinging  to  harsh  reeds  and  grasses,  rapidly  fray  out 
even  the  resistant  remiges  and  rectrices,  thus,  perhaps,  necessi- 
tating two  complete  moults  annually,  although  there  are  other 
species,  such,  for  instance,  as  the  Seaside  Sparrow  (Ammodrauius 
inaritinnts),  which  have  but  one,  although  they  are  apparently 
exposed  to  the  same  amount  of  wear. 

The  subject  of  wear  is  a  large  one  and  its  possibilities  are  by 
no  means  exhausted,  although  many  writers  have  already  dis- 
cussed it  most  minutely,  but  there  is  need  of  getting  beyond  the 
narrow  field  of  a  microscope  focused  on  single  parts  of  single 
feathers.  To  base  theories  on  pigment  granules  and  exuding 
pores  is  perhaps  simpler  than  to  prove  that  color  and  pattern 
were  present  when  the  feather  first  grew  and  yet  those  who  have 
ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  PCI.,  XIII,  Aug.  3,  1900 — 6. 


82  DWIGHT 

been  masters  of  microscopic  technique  have  sometimes  signally 
failed  to  grasp  the  rudiments  of  wear,  let  alone  those  of  moult. 

It  would  seem  to  be  an  easy  matter  to  determine  the  age  of  a 
feather  by  the  amount  of  wear,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  not. 
All  of  the  factors  I  have  mentioned  must  be  taken  into  consid- 
eration. Minute  and  careful  study,  not  only  of  single  feathers, 
but  of  many  feathers,  the  whole  plumage  in  fact,  is  necessary 
in  order  to  reach  conclusions.  Even  then,  in  some  cases,  one 
must  make  comparison  of  many  birds  in  order  to  eliminate  in- 
dividual irregularities.  It  is  not  difficult  to  say  that  a  feather 
is  not  new,  but  without  some  corroborative  evidence,  aside 
from  the  feather  itself,  it  is  not  easy  to  estimate  whether  it  has 
been  worn,  let  us  say  a  couple  of  months,  or  perhaps  three 
times  as  long.  A  dark  feather  growing  at  the  side  of  a  light 
one  shows  far  less  wear  in  a  given  time,  and  in  the  same  way 
remiges  and  rectrices  of  young  birds,  compared  with  those  of 
adults,  show  much  more  wear,  but  it  is  only  possible  to  prove  this 
by  knowing  that  all  of  these  feathers  grew  at  the  same  time  of 
the  year.  Hence  the  importance  of  knowing  the  autumnal  plum- 
age of  both  young  and  old  birds  in  order  to  estimate  wear.  On 
a  correct  estimate  often  hinges  the  question  of  a  moult  that  may 
have  occurred  in  southern  latitudes  during  the  winter  months. 

It  is,  however,  quite  possible  to  reach  intelligent  conclusions 
in  many  cases  without  other  aid  than  the  naked  eye,  although  a 
lens  magnifying  ten  or  fifteen  diameters  achieves  better  results. 


II.    PROCESS  OF  MOULT 

The  moult  of  a  bird  is  a  physiological  process,  whereby  new 
feathers  grow  periodically  to  replace  the  old  ones.  The  whole 
plumage  may  be  renewed  or  only  a  part  of  it  and  the  moult 
periods  must  not  be  confounded  with  occasional  new  growth  at 
any  time  and  anywhere  to  replace  feathers  accidentally  torn  out. 
There  are  two  seasons  of  moult  peculiar  to  the  adults  of  most  of 
our  Passerine  species,  one  in  all  species  which  is  complete  fol- 
lowing the  breeding  season,  and  one  in  some  species,  which  is 
usually  incomplete,  preceding  it.  The  first,  the  post-nuptial,  re- 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  83 

stores  the  worn-out  plumage,  the  second  (when  it  is  not  sup- 
pressed), the  pre-nuptial,  adorns  birds  for  the  nuptial  season.  In 
a  few  of  our  species  the  latter  moult  is  complete,  usually  the 
wings  and  tail  are  not  involved,  and  often  the  renewal  is  limited 
to  a  sprinkling  of  new  feathers  here  and  there,  so  limited,  in  fact, 
that  it  sometimes  becomes  a  difficult  matter  to  draw  the  line  be- 
tween a  moult  and  the  regular  tendency,  in  nearly  all  species,  at 
this  season,  to  the  renewal  of  a  few  feathers.  A  limited,  or  sup- 
pressed, pre-nuptial  moult  is  peculiar  to  many  females,  while  the 
males  may  undergo  an  extensive  renewal,  and  young  birds  of 
some  species  undergo  a  pre-nuptial  moult  once,  that  is  appar- 
ently not  repeated  another  year.  There  are  also  several  moults 
peculiar  to  young  birds  before  they  even  acquire  feathers  of  adult 
structure,  and  many  species  need  to  pass  through  at  least  two 
moults  besides  those  of  the  first  summer  before  the  plumage  be- 
comes wholly  of  the  pattern  and  color  of  the  adult.  With  all  of 
these  possibilities  it  is  easy  to  understand,  I  think,  why  the 
moult  has  been  considered  complicated.  In  reality  it  is  the  re- 
sulting plumages  that  are  perplexing  rather  than  the  moults  by 
which  they  have  been  produced.  Closely  allied  species  may 
not  moult  alike  but  it  is  evident  that  subspecies  follow  in  the 
footsteps  of  the  parent  stock. 

On  account  of  certain  irregularities  and  peculiarities  in  the 
moult  of  young  birds,  I  have  deemed  it  best  to  describe  first  the 
process  of  moult  as  it  occurs  in  the  adult  and  take  up  that  of  the 
young  bird  later. 

Protective  Sequence  in  Feather  Loss. 

The  feather  loss  at  the  time  of  a  moult  is  so  compensated  for 
by  feather  gain  that  but  few  birds  lose  either  the  power  of  flight 
or  the  protection  of  their  plumage.  The  plan  on  which  a  moult 
proceeds  is  a  perfectly  definite  one  although  often  much  modified 
and  obscured.  Old  feathers  or  rows  of  feathers  tend  to  remain 
until  the  newcomers  adjacent  have  matured  sufficiently  to  as- 
sume their  function,  when  the  old  fall  out  and  their  places  are 
taken  by  the  new  which  develop  from  the  same  papillae.  How 


84  DWIGHT 

the  old  feather  is  pushed  out  by  the  new,  so  to  speak,  is  a 
matter  for  microscopic  study  and  a  subject  by  itself,  but  it  usually 
falls  when  the  follicle  of  the  new  is  barely  visible  to  the  naked 
eye  as  a  bluish  spot  beneath  the  skin. 

The  systematic  replacement  of  areas  of  feathers  shows  most 
obviously  in  the  wings  where  not  only  do  the  remiges  fall  out 
one  after  another  in  definite  sequence  and  almost  synchronously 
from  each  wing,  but  the  greater  coverts  are  regularly  replaced 
before  the  fall  of  the  secondaries  beneath  them,  the  lesser  coverts 
before  the  median  and  even  in  the  rows  of  the  lesser  coverts 
alternation  seems  to  be  attempted.  Furthermore  the  under  wing 
coverts  are  usually  replaced  after  the  moult  of  the  upper  surface 
of  the  wings  is  completed  (regularly  so  in  young  birds)  the  row 
nearest  the  quills  of  the  remiges  following  the  more  distant.  On 
the  body  the  protective  sequence  is  less  obvious,  but  the  moult 
regularly  begins  at  fairly  definite  points  in  the  feather  tracts 
radiating  from  them  in  such  manner  that  the  outer  rows  of 
feathers  where  the  tracts  are  widest  and  the  feathers  of  their 
extremities  are  normally  the  last  to  be  replaced.  The  tail 
coverts,  too,  precede  the  rectrices  which  fall  on  either  side  in 
pairs,  the  outer  protecting  in  a  measure  the  inner  ones.  If  this 
sequence  is  borne  in  mind  many  supposed  discrepancies  will 
nicely  adjust  themselves,  and  exceptions  will  be  individual  and 
in  no  wise  mar  an  evident  and  far  reaching  plan  of  moult. 

The  important  part  that  the  blood-supply  plays  in  this  plan 
appears  to  have  been  quite  overlooked,  nor  have  I  had  oppor- 
tunity to  fully  investigate  it.  I  may  say,  however,  that  the 
radiation  of  the  moult  from  given  points  corresponds  very  closely 
to  the  distribution  of  the  superficial  arteries,  beginning  where 
the  main  trunks  come  to  the  surface  and  ending  with  their  ulti- 
mate ramifications. 


Advance  of  Moult  in  the  Feather  Tracts. 

Reference  to  plate  III,  will  give  some  idea  of  how  the  pterylce 
or  feather  tracts  are  distributed  in  a  Passerine  bird.  The  subject 
photographed  is  a  young  American  Robin  (J^lerula  migratoria) 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  85 

five  days  from  the  egg,  the  tracts  being  the  same  as  in  the  adult. 
The  only  way  to  get  any  idea  of  how  a  moult  proceeds  is  to  appre- 
ciate the  fact  that  it  begins  almost  simultaneously  at  a  number 
of  points  in  the  different  tracts  and  advances  independently  from 
each  of  them.  This  is  why  a  bird  seems  to  be  moulting  at 
irregular  spots  all  over.  There  is,  as  might  be  expected,  a  good 
deal  of  individual  irregularity  in  the  growth  of  new  feathers,  but 
when  each  tract  is  studied  separately,  each  will  be  found  to  have 
a  definite  plan  of  development  which  in  its  turn  fits  into  the 
general  scheme  of  the  process  we  call  the  moult.  There  is  far 
more  symmetry  in  all  this  than  would  be  imagined  from  the 
study  of  a  few  specimens  and  the  moult  may  well  be  likened  to 
a  flood  tide  which  gradually  spreads  over  the  different  islands  of 
feathers  found  on  a  bird's  body.  It  is  important  to  note  that  the 
tide  of  moult  may  pass  by  certain  feathers  which  later  succumb 
to  it  so  that  a  few  new  ones  are  always  to  be  expected  on  the 
body  very  near  the  points  where  the  moult  began.  What  is 
more  important  yet,  certain  feathers  or  groups  of  feathers  are 
often  entirely  passed  by  and  persist  old  and  worn  until  another 
period  of  moult.  This  suppression  is  the  rule  at  the  prenuptial 
moult,  especially  in  young  birds  and  females,  but  rarely  occurs 
at  the  postnuptial  period.  When  such  feathers  are  of  a  different 
color  from  those  of  the  new  plumage  surrounding  them,  they 
are  very  conspicuous,  but  may  usually  be  recognized  as  belong- 
ing to  a  previous  plumage  by  their  frayed  and  faded  appearance. 
Young  birds  are  most  apt  to  fail  to  renew  these  stray  feathers, 
often  whole  patches  of  them,  particularly  when  the  adult  plum- 
age is  brilliantly  colored,  as  for  instance,  in  the  Indigo  Bunting 
(Passerina  cyancd]  or  Orchard  Oriole  {Icterus  spurius).  It 
would  seem  that  the  tide  of  moult  fails  to  rise  or  exhausts  itself 
sooner  in  the  young  bird  than  in  the  adult,  consequently  the 
young  of  some  species  pass  their  first  breeding  season  in  a 
plumage  adorned  with  only  a  few  new  feathers  colored  like 
those  of  the  adult.  This  is  true  of  the  species  just  mentioned, 
and  the  Redstart  (Setophaga  ruticilla)  and  Summer  Tanager 
(Plranga  rubra],  are  also  other  good  examples.  When  only  a 
few  new  feathers  are  assumed  they  are  confined  chiefly  to  the 


86  D  WIGHT 

head  and  chin  with  stray  ones  here  and  there  on  the  other 
feather  tracts.  The  process  of  moult  begins  at  the  usual  points 
and  is  then  checked,  producing  the  mottling  of  different  colored 
feathers  so  obvious  in  species  with  contrasting  plumages.  When- 
ever a  complete  moult  occurs  either  in  young  or  old,  left-over 
feathers  are  the  exception  probably  because  functional  activity  is 
called  into  full  force,  but  when  a  partial  moult  takes  place,  as  it 
does  in  many  species  prior  to  the  breeding  season,  parts  only  of 
the  feather  tracts  are  renewed,  and  left-over  feathers  abound. 
They  are  valuable  landmarks,  and  more  will  be  said  of  them 
later  for  they  are  the  chief  prop  of  the  theory  of  "  color  change 
without  moult." 

Whenever  a  complete  moult  is  about  to  take  place  the  first 
tract  to  show  activity  is  usually  the  alar,  and  the  fall  of  the  inner- 
most or  proximal  primary  is  the  starting  signal  closely  followed 
by  the  feathers  of  the  breast  on  either  side  at  a  point  pos- 
terior to  the  forking  of  the  ventral  tract  into  its  lateral  branches. 
Very  shortly,  new  feathers  appear  among  the  interscapularies, 
the  scapularies  and  the  greater  wing  coverts,  and  usually  a  little 
later  the  feathers  of  the  forehead,  occiput,  throat,  lesser  wing 
coverts  and  tail  coverts  begin  to  be  renewed.  The  moult  of 
each  tract  is  traced  elsewhere  so  it  will  suffice  to  say  here  that 
as  a'  rule  the  moult  of  the  wings  is  completed  before  that  of  the 
body  and  that  there  are  some  pretty  definite  spots  on  each  where 
the  last  evidences  are  to  be  found.  The  latest  feathers  of  the 
alar  tract  are  the  inner  secondaries  (excluding  the  tertiaries 
which  are  earlier),  the  under  surface  of  the  wing  and  the  humeral 
surfaces.  On  the  head  the  latest  feathers  of  the  new  dress  are 
regularly  found  in  the  postauricular  region,  on  the  nape  and  at 
the  nostrils  ;  on  the  back  at  the  expansion  of  the  dorsal  tract,  and 
at  the  anterior  extremity  of  the  humeral  tracts ;  and  on  the  ven- 
tral tract  at  the  chin,  at  the  lateral  forking,  at  the  wide  part  of 
the  lateral  branches  and  at  the  sides  of  the  unfeathered  central 
portion  of  the  abdomen. 

The  down  feathers  that  clothe  the  so-called  featherless  spaces 
(apterid)  keep  pace  with  the  contour  feathers  adjacent,  but  usually 
are  later.  Other  modified  feathers,  such  as  filoplumes,  semi- 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  87 

plumes  or  bristles,  moult  along  with  the  contour  feathers  with 
which  they  are  associated.  In  adults  there  is  regularity  in  the 
development  of  the  tracts  all  bearing  a  fairly  definite  time  rela- 
tion to  each  other  but  in  young  birds  an  outbreak  of  moult  in 
any  of  the  tracts  earlier  or  later  is  less  unusual. 

A  knowledge  of  the  distribution  of  the  feathers  of  each  tract, 
their  relative  numbers  and  arrangement  is  indispensable  in  fol- 
lowing their  successive  growth,  but  it  is  not  possible  in  the  pres- 
ent paper  to  go  too  deeply  into  the  niceties  of  pterylographical 
differences.  Other  writers,  notably  Nitzsch,  have  discussed 
them  and  mapped  out  the  feather  tracts  of  various  species.  It 
is  well  to  remember  that  among  our  Passerine  species  contour 
feathers  grow  on  all  the  tracts,  a  small  part  of  the  alar  and 
caudal  tracts  furnishing  the  remiges  and  rectrices  respectively. 
It  is  well  to  observe  that  these  too  are  contour  feathers — a  fact 
that  some  writers  overlook.  They  are  renewed  in  adults  but 
once  in  twelve  months  as  a  rule  and  no  oftener  in  most  young 
birds  but  there  are  exceptions  among  a  number  of  species.  The 
body  feathers  of  a  great  many  species  are  renewed  twice  a  year 
in  both  old  and  young. 

1.  Alar  or  Wing  Tracts  (Ptervlce  alares).  The  power  of  flight 
depends  upon  the  remiges  of  these  tracts,  and  until  they  have 
reached  maturity  after  the  moult  regularly  subsequent  to  the 
breeding  season,  there  appears  to  be  little  or  no  attempt  at  mi- 
gration on  the  part  of  most,  birds,  some  of  the  Flycatchers, 
Swallows  and,  perhaps,  a  few  others,  being  marked  exceptions. 
As  flight  then,  is  the  first  object  to  be  attained,  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing the  moult  should  begin  where  it  does  near  the  middle  01 
each  wing  with  the  fall  of  the  respective  innermost  or  proximal 
primary.  In  nine-primaried  species  it  is  the  ninth  as  usually 
counted,  omitting  the  one  aborted,  and  the  tenth  when  ten  are 
found.  The  upper  primary  coverts  fall  with  or  a  little  after  the 
primaries  to  which  they  belong  and  are  almost  never  moulted 
independently  of  the  primaries.  As  soon  as  a  primary  falls  the 
follicle  or  envelope  containing  the  new  forming  feather  pushes 
into  view,  often  reaching  one  quarter  the  length  of  the  old 
feather  and  a  diameter  exceeding  it  by  one  half  before  the 


88  DWIGHT 

feather  itself  breaks  from  the  apex.  The  follicle  is  pulpy,  dark 
and  bluish  in  appearance  owing  to  the  developing  feather  within, 
the  quill  of  which,  after  it  is  grown,  remaining  pulpy  until  one 
or  two  of  the  adjacent  quills  have  reached  maturity.  The  re- 
mains of  the  follicle  persist  in  the  form  of  a  scaly  sheath  at  the 
base  of  each  quill  until  several  of  the  new  feathers  are  fully 
grown  and  often  much  longer.  This  development  of  the  new 
feather  is  not  peculiar  to  the  primaries,  but  is  true  of  every  other 
feather  on  a  bird.  Before,  however,  the  follicle  of  the  proximal 
primary  has  opened,  the  primary  adjacent  regularly  falls,  closely 
followed  by  its  upper  covert.  It  probably  falls  at  very  nearly 
the  same  time  as  the  proximal  in  many  cases  and  even  in  ad- 
vance of  it  in  a  few,  as  may  be  inferred  from  the  relative  length 
of  the  two  new  feathers,  but  as  a  rule  the  order  is  the  one  indi- 
cated. Both  are  out  of  their  follicles  before  the  next  adjacent, 
and  its  covert  falls,  and  this  is  followed  in  order  by  the  more 
distal  primaries  one  after  another.  At  no  time  is  a  gap  left  of 
more  than  one  or  two  whole  feathers  at  most  and  perhaps  one 
or  more  partly  grown  so  that  a  Passerine  bird  is  never  much 
hampered  in  its  flight. 

From  the  examination  of  specimens  it  is  impossible  to  deter- 
mine the  exact  time  required  for  a  complete  renewal  of  this 
most  important  row  of  flight-feathers  which  is  usually  the  first 
to  be  affected  by  the  moult  in  adults  although  outstripped  in 
development  by  some  of  the  other  areas.  I  should  estimate  the 
time  at  about  one  month  or  probably  a  little  longer.  In  exten- 
sive series  of  a  few  species,  I  find  that  the  period  between  the 
earliest  date  of  a  specimen  showing  loss  of  the  proximal  primary 
and  the  earliest  date  of  a  specimen  showing  the  distal  primary 
fully  grown  varies  between  a  month  and  six  or  eight  weeks. 

The  primaries  are  rarely  moulted  more  than  once  in  a  year. 
Adults  and  year-old  birds  at  the  end  of  the  breeding  season 
both  male  and  female  always  renew  them.  In  a  few  species,  all 
the  primaries  are  again  renewed  by  moult  in  the  winter  or  early 
spring.  Young  birds  of  a  few  species  moult  these  feathers  in 
acquiring  their  autumnal  or  first  winter  dress,  but  the  majority 
retain  them  until  the  moult  following  the  first  breeding  season. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  89 

Some  few  young  birds  however  have  the  peculiarity  of  renew- 
ing only  the  outer  or  distal  four  or  five  at  the  prenuptial  moult. 
This  partial  moult  is  easily  overlooked  particularly  in  worn 
spring  specimens.  The  Indigo  Bunting  (^Cyamospiza  cyaned) 
and  Short- billed  Marsh  Wren  (Cistothonis  palustris)  are  ex- 
amples of  this  peculiarity. 

Primaries  are  almost  never  left  over — if  any  moult  takes  place 
in  .this  series  all  are  involved  except  as  just  indicated.  When- 
ever they  undergo  a  moult  so  do  their  upper  coverts  with  rare 
exceptions  and  as  the  latter  fade  and  wear  more  than  the  pri- 
maries they  are  often  a  key  to  the  age  of  the  bird,  in  the  young 
differing  more  in  color  from  those  of  the  adult  than  do  the  pri- 
maries themselves.  Occasionally  one  or  more  of  the  primary 
coverts  is  left  over  until  the  next  moult.  Primaries  show  the 
least  wear  of  any  feathers  when  compared  with  others  grown 
at  the  same  time.  Their  compact  structure  and  deep  pigmen- 
tation make  them  unusually  resistant. 

The  secondaries  are  always  six  for  each  wing  in  the  species 
under  consideration,  it  being  desirable  to  recognize  the  three 
proximal  feathers  of  this  series  as  tertiaries.  Coincidently  very 
nearly  with  the  fall  of  the  fifth  or  sixth  primary  the  first  or 
outermost  of  the  secondaries  is  lost,  followed  in  succession  by 
the  second,  third,  fourth,  fifth  and  sixth  or  proximal,  the  pre- 
ceding feather  usually  reaching  a  considerable  length  before  the 
next  in  the  series  is  moulted.  There  seems  to  be  some  irregu- 
larity in  the  loss  of  the  inner  members  which  are  replaced 
more  rapidly  than  are  their  predecessors,  but  the  innermost  falls 
at  very  nearly  the  same  time  as  the  outermost  primary  so  that 
the  moult  appears  to  begin  near  the  middle  of  the  remiges  and 
proceed  evenly  in  either  direction. 

Whenever  there  is  a  complete  moult  of  the  primaries  there  is 
also  one  of  the  secondaries  and  there  seems  to  be  few  exceptions 
to  this  rule  in  young  or  old  although  the  outer  primaries  as  al- 
ready explained  may  be  moulted  when  no  renewal  occurs  among 
the  secondaries.  The  secondaries  are  never  renewed  as  a  series 
without  moult  of  the  primaries  preceding  their  moult. 

The  three  tertiaries  of  each  wing  which,  from  their  position, 


90  DWIGHT 

appear  to  be  only  inner  secondaries,  do  not  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, follow  their  sequence  of  moult.  The  middle  one  falls 
with  or  even  before  the  distal  secondary,  and  in  spite  of  some 
irregularity  the  three  are  almost  always  grown  in  advance  of 
the  inner  secondaries.  The  middle  feather  is  the  first  to  be  lost, 
followed  by  the  innermost,  and  this  in  turn  by  the  outermost, 
which  often  acquires  complete  maturity  before  the  adjacent 
secondary,  the  sixth,  falls  out. 

The  tertiaries  follow  in  their  moult  most  frequently,  per- 
haps, the  example  of  the  adjacent  body  plumage,  but  are  very 
irregular,  individuals  of  the  same  species  acting  in  defiance  of 
what  might  be  expected  of  them.  Some  adults  regularly  renew 
them  at  the  prenuptial  moult  when  the  body  plumage  is  re- 
newed, but  even  these  birds  may  replace  only  one  or  two 
feathers  and  asymmetrically  in  either  wing.  Young  birds  are 
still  more  irregular  and  old  feathers  frequently  persist  in  one 
bird  and*  not  in  another  of  the  same  species,  as  may  be  seen  in 
the  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak  (Habia  ludoviciand],  or  Baltimore 
Oriole  (Icterus  galbuld)  and  many  others.  When  young  birds 
acquire  plumage  of  adult  structure  in  the  early  autumn  of  their 
first  year,  the  tertiaries  are  often  replaced  by  others  so  similar 
in  color,  pattern  and  structure,  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  be  sure 
of  their  moult,  unless  they  are  caught  in  the  act.  As  they 
moult  quickly,  it  is  not  always  easy  to  do  this,  and  as  they  wear 
quickly  it  is  easy  to  mistake  their  age.  Sometimes  a  precocious 
young  bird  acquires  one  or  two  of  adult  color  that  are  not 
normally  due  until  a  later  moult.  It  is  doubtful  if  such  feathers, 
when  assumed  in  the  autumn,  are  again  renewed  in  the  spring. 

The  moult  of  the  ahilce,  the  feathers  on  the  ''thumb"  of  each 
wing  usually  follows  the  example  of  the  wing  coverts,  most  fre- 
quently being  renewed  when  they  are,  but  often  not.  The  three 
larger  feathers  fall  with  or  a  little  after  the  proximal  primary.  The 
proximal  feather  falls  first,  sometimes  the  middle  one,  followed 
by  the  distal.  The  smaller  feathers  which  act  as  coverts  are 
earlier  and  related  in  moult  to  those  of  the  carpo-metacarpal 
region  adjacent.  The  alulce  are  quite  irregular  and  are  moulted 
by  some  individuals  of  a  species  and  not  by  others. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF  NEW   YORK  91 

The  row  of  greater  coverts,  usually  eleven  in  number  for  each 
wing,  lie  directly  over  the  secondaries  and  tertiaries,  but  do  not, 
like  the  primary  coverts,  follow  the  moult  of  the  rerniges  beneath 
them.  They  usually  reach  full  development  before  feather  loss 
fairly  begins  in  the  series  beneath  them  ;  and  do  not  fall  out 
regularly  but  many  of  them  at  about  the  same  time,  the  inner 
feathers,  however,  being  a  little  later  than  the  others.  This 
row  sometimes  begins  to  fall  before  the  inner  primary  is  lost, 
especially  in  young  birds,  usually  very  soon  after.  They  are 
more  frequently  renewed  than  are  the  tertiaries  when  a  moult 
of  the  body  plumage  occurs  and  often  are  renewed  only  in  part. 
At  the  prenuptial  moult  the  inner  members  only  may  be  re- 
newed and  one  here  and  there  so  that  a  curious  alternation  of 
old  and  new  feathers  results,  some  of  the  Warblers  and  Tana- 
gers  illustrating  this  point  to  perfection.  The  outer  members 
of  the  series  are  the  ones  most  frequently  left  over  and  the 
contrast  in  color  is  often  striking,  especially  when  precocious 
young  birds  assume  a  few  of  adult  pattern  and  color. 

The  median  coverts,  eight  in  number  for  each  wing,  do  not  be- 
gin to  fall  as  a  rule  until  the  greater  coverts  on  one  side  of  them 
and  the  lesser  coverts  on  the  other  have  been  largely  renewed. 
Like  all  of  the  minor  wing  series  this  one  falls  out  irregularly, 
the  tendency  being  for  the  outer  members  to  be  replaced 
earlier.  They  are  renewed  whenever  the  other  coverts  show 
moult  and  may  like  them  be  left  over  here  and  there  until  a 
later  moult.  Young  birds  of  the  Summer  Tanager  (Piranga 
rubrd)  may,  for  instance,  have  a  red  band  of  these  feathers 
across  an  otherwise  greenish  wing. 

The  lesser  coverts  or  cubital  coverts  clothing  what  are  often 
inappropriately  called  the  ''shoulders,"  are  very  small  feathers 
in  several  rows,  usually  about  five,  so  easily  disarranged  that 
it  is  difHcult  to  follow  their  sequence  in  renewal.  They  seem  to 
moult  in  alternate  rows,  beginning  with  the  row  next  to  the  one 
that  protects  the  anterior  margin  of  the  wing  membrane,  and 
the  last  to  be  replaced  are  those  nearest  to  the  body  and  to  the 
median  coverts.  The  series  may  be  only  partly  renewed.  The 
feather  loss  begins  as  a  rule  just  as  the  greater  coverts  are  well 


92  DWIGHT 

sprouted  and  precedes  by  a  distinct  interval  feather  loss  in  the 
median  coverts.  They  are  usually  renewed  with  the  adjacent 
body  plumage,  and  are  the  coverts  most  likely  to  be  renewed 
if  the  wings  show  any  moult  at  all.  In  some  species  there  is  a 
striking  difference  in  the  color  of  these  coverts  by  which  young 
birds  one  year  old  in  breeding  plumage  may  be  distinguished 
from  those  that  are  older,  as  for  example  in  the  Goldfinch 
(Spinus  tristis)  or  Red-winged  Blackbird  (Agelaius  phoeniceus^ 

Renewal  among  the  under  wing  coverts  which  are  often 
spoken  of  as  "  lining  of  the  wing"  takes  place  after  the  moult  of 
the  upper  surface  of  the  wing  has  been  nearly  or  quite  com- 
pleted. They  are  among  the  last  feathers  to  develop  in  young 
birds  after  leaving  the  nest.  The  first  row  of  those  lying  upon 
the  bases  of  the  remiges  remains  as  a  rule  until  the  adjacent 
second  row  has  been  replaced.  The  moult  begins  among  the 
secondary  coverts  of  the  second  row  extending  irregularly  out- 
ward and  inward,  the  innermost  being  the  latest,  followed  closely 
by  the  second  row  of  primary  coverts.  The  first  row  completes 
the  moult  of  this  surface  of  the  alar  tract,  perhaps  excepting 
the  tiny  down  feathers  growing  at  the  bases  of  the  secondaries 
and  over  the  wing  membrane. 

The  long  infra-marginal  coverts,  a  double  row  of  alternating 
long  and  short  feathers  that  sweep  backward  over  the  compara- 
tively bare  under  surface  of  the  wing  membrane,  begin  to  fall 
somewhat  irregularly  near  the  carpal  joint,  the  row  of  long  ones 
preceding  the  short  ones,  and  the  moult  moves  inward,  the 
feathers  close  to  the  body  being  late  in  renewal.  The  thatch- 
like  row  of  lesser  coverts  that  grow  at  the  anterior  margin  of 
the  wing  are  equally  late,  the  renewal  being  irregularly  towards 
the  body  from  the  carpal  joint. 

The  tiny  carpo-metacarpal  coverts,  or  feathers  of  the  wrist  and 
hand,  both  above  and  below  may  show  moult  early,  but  in 
young  birds  the  contrary  prevails.  The  moult  tends  to  pro- 
ceed in  the  two  principal  median  rows  from  the  carpal  joint, 
distally. 

The  few  feathers  of  the  upper  arm  (excepting  those  of  the 
humeral  tracts),  especially  those  on  its  posterior  edge,  are 
among  the  latest  of  the  wing  series. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  93 

2.  Humeral  or  Shoulder  Tracts  (Pterylcz  humerales).     A  tol- 
erably  symmetrical,  bilateral   outbreak  of  new  feathers    takes 
place  very  early  in  this  pair  of  tracts  showing  usually  at  the 
median  and  internal  portion.     The  moult  proceeds  forwards, 
seemingly  effecting  a  junction  with  the  lateral  branches  of  the 
ventral    tract  near    the  edges  of  the  wing  membranes  at  the 
very  time  the  moult  in  them  has  reached  this  point  ;  and  back- 
wards to  the  posterior  margin  of  the  upper  arm  joining  very 
nearly  the  humeral  coverts.      Old  feathers  frequently  persist  at 
these  junction  points  and  also  externally,  particularly  in  young 
birds.     These  tracts  follow  the  example  of  the  body  plumage 
in  their  moult,  and  not  that  of  the  alar  tract,  being  renewed  in 
many  species  twice  a  year. 

3.  Capital  or  Head  Tract    (Pteryla    capitis).     The    pterylog- 
raphy  of  this  important  tract  requires  a  little  more  explanation 
than  is  usually  given  it  in  order  to  understand  its  moult.     Al- 
though the  head  is  practically  entirely  covered  (save  a  small 
spot  behind   the    eye)   with   a   multitude   of   extremely   small 
feathers     in     Passerine   species,  they    are  arranged  in   several 
groups   or   series.       Starting  at  the   nostrils  near  the  base  of 
the  upper  mandible  two    rather  broad  bands    pass  backward 
over  the  crown,  but  before  reaching   the  occiput    they  widen 
out  curving  laterally  to  the  postauricular  region,    the   lines   of 
feathers  on  the  occiput  extending  laterally.     On  each  side  of 
the  head  is   a  narrow  band  corresponding  to  the  superciliary 
stripe ;    another  includes    the   loral  and  circumocular   region  ; 
another  passes   from  the   gape   backward  in    a    loop    includ- 
ing the  auriculars  ;  and  finally  there  is  a  submalar  band  starting 
beneath  the  middle  of  the  ramus  of  the  lower  mandible  and 
joining  the  auriculars  at  a  point  near  where  they  are  joined  by 
the  short  auricular  branch  of  the  ventral  tract.     There  seems 
to  be  some  relation  between  these  minor  tracts  and  the  distri- 
bution of  color ;  and  moult  begins  independently  in  any  or  all 
of  them  at  about  the  same  time  and,  as  a  rule,  tends  to  proceed 
from  before  backwards.     The  auriculars  being  the  largest  areas 
are  usually  the  first  and  often  the  last  to  show  moult.     A  fre- 
quent point  of  departure  is  just  back  of  the  extreme  anterior 


94  DWIGHT 

feathers  of  the  forehead  which  fall  out  a  little  later.  We  see 
new  feathers  centrally  on  the  crown  in  advance  of  those  on  the 
occiput,  and  the  loral  and  circumocular  regions  are  often 
bare  when  the  crown  and  auriculars  are  largely  renewed,  and 
especially  is  this  noticeable  in  very  young  birds.  The  last 
traces  of  moult  are,  as  a  rule,  to  be  found  in  the  postauricular 
and  cervical  regions. 

The  head  tract  is  of  paramount  importance  because  if  any 
partial  prenuptial  moult  takes  place,  the  new  feathers  will  be 
found  here  and  on  the  chin  and  often  nowhere  else.  In  some 
species  the  renewal  is  limited  chiefly  to  the  loral  feathers  and 
those  adjacent,  or  it  may  involve  the  crown  and  anterior  parts  of 
the  throat.  Adult  males  may  or  may  not  renew  this  tract  at  the 
prenuptial  moult  according  to  species  ;  young  males  in  many 
species  renew  it  their  first  spring  only  (possibly  their  second 
in  some  cases) ;  and  females  may  moult  the  same  as  the  males, 
but  more  frequently  either  omit  this  moult  altogether  or  as- 
sume a  very  limited  number  of  new  feathers.  Young  males  of 
the  same  species  may  show  the  greatest  individual  variation, 
especially  in  highly  colored  species,  some  of  them  assuming 
plumage  indistinguishable  from  adults,  others  only  a  few 
scattered  feathers  at  the  anterior  parts  of  the  head  and  throat. 
Each  species,  however,  has  a  tolerably  definite  area  of  renewal 
peculiar  to  itself  and  although  the  feathers  of  the  head  tract  are 
very  numerous  they  are,  most  of  them,  so  extremely  small  that 
their  moult  may  be  very  easily  overlooked. 

4 .  Dorsal  or  Spinal  Tract  (Pteryla  spinalis).  The  slight  variations 
in  the  distribution  of  this  tract  among  our  families  of  Passeres 
need  not  be  here  specified.  It  extends  in  most  of  them  from 
the  occiput  to  the  oil  gland  at  the  base  of  the  tail,  widening 
posterior  to  the  scapulae  into  a  triangular  "  saddle,"  some- 
times dividing  into  two  bands  and  enclosing  an  elliptical  space 
instead,  and  sometimes  forking  and  ceasing  before  reaching  the 
oil  gland. 

The  first  place  where  new  feathers  show  is  at  a  spot  in  the 
anterior  interscapular  region.  There  seems  also  to  be  another 
spot  behind  the  saddle  where  as  the  tract  is  narrow  the  moult 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK 


95 


is  soon  completed.  The  central  rows  of  feathers  tend  to  pre- 
cede the  outer  and  the  moult  advancing  rapidly  forward  and 
backward  soon  reaches  the  base  of  the  head  and  the  wide  saddle 
behind  the  shoulders,  at  both  of  which  points  will  be  found  the 
last  traces  of  new  feathering.  It  is  sometimes  the  first  tract  to 
show  new  growth.  If  a  species  has  a  prenuptial  moult  this  tract 
is  not  usually  involved  unless  all  the  body  plumage  is  renewed, 
except  in  a  few  cases  where  only  the  interscapular  portion  is 
included  with  the  head  and  throat. 

5.  Ventral  or  Inferior  Tract  (Pteryla  gastrcei}.  From  this 
extensive  tract  grows  the  whole  plumage  of  the  lower  surface 
of  the  body.  It  may  be  said  to  begin  at  the  interramal  space, 
it  gives  off  two  short  auricular  branches  near  the  angle  of  the 
jaw  and  it  forks  at  the  mid-neck  into  two  lateral,  or  sternal, 
branches  which  passing  along  the  sides  of  the  body,  end  on 
either  side  of  the  vent  or  at  some  distance  from  it.  On  the 
breast  there  is  regularly  a  widening  of  the  lateral  bands,  the  ex- 
ternal half  of  each  ending  abruptly  under  the  wings  nearly  mid- 
way between  head  and  tail. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  first  as  well  as  the  last  traces  of 
a  moult  are  frequently  to  be  found  on  this  extensive  tract.  A 
few  new  feather  follicles  may  be  expected  on  either  side  of  the 
breast  even  before  the  proximal  primary  is  lost  and  soon  a 
V-shaped  band  is  seen,  the  point  of  the  V  reaching  the  mid- 
throat  forking.  The  tide  of  moult  seems  to  sweep  chiefly 
backwards,  beginning  in  the  middle  rows  and  new  outbreaks 
take  place  a  little  later  on  the  throat.  The  sides  of  the  chin 
and  throat  may  precede  or  follow  as  the  case  may  be,  the 
throat  in  their  feather  development  owing  to  the  submalar 
bands  which  seem  properly  to  belong  to  the  head  tract.  The 
feather  growth  extending  forwards  from  the  breast  is  met  by 
that  extending  backward  from  the  throat,  the  lower  part  of  which 
is  consequently  late  in  acquiring  new  feathers.  The  last 
traces  of  moult  in  the  ventral  tract  will  be  found  at  its  ex- 
tremities on  chin  and  abdomen,  or  among  the  outer  rows  of 
feathers  where  it  is  widest  as  at  its  forking  and  under  the  wings. 
The  feathers  which  hide  the  middle  of  the  abdomen  are  con- 


96  DWIGHT 

spicuously  among  the  last  to  be  moulted.  If  the  species  under- 
goes a  partial  prenuptial  moult  a  few  throat  feathers  may  be  all  that 
are  renewed,  but  usually  new  growth  extends  as  far  as  the  pec- 
toral forking.  In  some  species  with  a  more  extensive  moult  at 
this  season,  the  whole  tract,  or  all  of  it  except  its  posterior  ex- 
tremity is  renewed,  and  there  is  much  individual  variation  besides 
in  the  amount  of  renewal. 

6.  Caudal  or  Tail  Tract  (Pteryla  caudalis).  From  this  tract 
grow  the  rectrices  and  their  upper  and  under  coverts,  and  the 
anal  circlet  and  crissum  may  conveniently  be  included  for  their 
moult  coincides  with  that  of  the  adjacent  coverts.  Most  of 
the  feathers  of  this  tract  are  large  and  not  numerous,  the  twelve 
rectrices  or  tail  feathers  being  the  most  important  of  them  all. 
Their  moult  is  late  and  is  usually  preceded  by  that  of  the"  upper 
and  under  coverts  nearest  to  them.  At  about  the  time  the  sixth 
or  fifth  primary  is  lost  the  renewal  of  the  rectrices  begins  but 
it  is  irregular  especially  in  young  birds.  The  rectrices  fall  out 
approximately  in  pairs  beginning  with  the  central  pair,  and  fol- 
lowed by  the  quills  next  adjacent  on  either  side.  The  process 
is  so  rapid  however,  that  when  the  outer  pair  falls,  the  middle 
ones  are  seldom  more  than  half  grown  and  the  whole  series  is 
usually  found  in  a  pulpy  condition  at  a  time  when  the  rest  of 
the  body  plumage  is  well  developed  and  the  first  primary  nearly 
or  quite  grown.  The  sheaths  of  these  feathers  adhere  unevenly 
giving  the  impression  of  more  irregularity  in  their  moult  than 
really  exists,  but  there  are  evidently  a  good  many  cases  where 
the  normal  sequence  is  violated. 

In  young  birds  just  from  the  nest,  the  wings  are  often  well 
developed  before  the  tail  shows  much  growth  and  bob-tailed 
adults  as  well  as  young  birds  are  often  seen  together  at  the 
season  of  moult.  The  coverts  mostly  reach  maturity  before 
the  tail  itself,  the  rows  nearest  to  its  roots  tending  to  precede 
in  their  order  of  moult  those  at  a  distance,  although  there  is 
considerable  irregularity. 

The  rectrices  are  regularly  renewed  whenever  all  the  remiges 
are  moulted,  and  they  are  often  moulted  when  the  latter  are 
not,  especially  in  young  birds  which  assume  much  of  the  adult 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  97 

plumage  at  the  prenuptial  moult  preceding  their  first  breeding 
season.  The  Baltimore  Oriole  (Icterus  galbula)  and  Rose- 
breasted  Grosbeak  (Habia  ludcrvidana)  are  examples  and  in 
these  and  many  other  species  the  renewal  may  not  be  complete 
or  the  color  may  be  deficient,  producing  tails  that  have  been 
said  to  be  in  process  of  "  recoloration."  When  a  young  bird 
acquires  a  new  tail  in  autumn  without  moult  in  the  remiges  it 
often  suggests,  either  individual  precocity  or  accident,  for  there 
seem  to  be  very  few  species  in  which  this  regularly  occurs  with- 
out simultaneous  moult  of  the  remiges.  Unilateral  moult  of  a 
few  rectrices  only  generally  indicates  a  mishap  by  which  the 
feathers  have  been  pulled  out  and  this  is  not  an  uncommon 
accident. 

7.  Lumbar,    Femoral   or  Thigh    Tracts   (Pterylce  hiuibales  sen 
fe  morales).     Two  narrow  bands,  one  on  either  side  of  the  pos- 
terior part  of  the  back,  form  the  areas  from  which  the  feathers 
of  the  flanks  grow,  but  the  name  flank  generally  applies  to  the 
external  lateral  rows  of  the  posterior  extremities  of  the  ventral 
tract.     The  renewal  in  these  tracts  proceeds  approximately  from 
above  downward  and  from  before  backward,  there  being  little 
evidence  of  moult  as  a  rule  until  the  process  is  well  under  way 
elsewhere.     They  are  less  often  involved  when  there  is  a  spring 
moult  than  are  the  other  body  tracts  and  at  this  time  may  be 
only  partially  renewed. 

8 .  Crural  or  Leg  Tracts  (Pterylce  crurales).   The  conto ur  feathers 
of  these  bilateral  tracts  are  scattered,  small  and  inconspicuous, 
although  most  abundant  near  the  tarsal  or   ankle  joint.     Their 
moult  easily  escapes  notice,  beginning  usually  with  the  super- 
ior and  external   feathers  and  ending  among  the  closely  imbri- 
cated rows  of  the  lower  part  of  the  tibiae  or  legs.     The  process 
begins  quite   early  and  may  be  completed  early.     The   failure 
of  these  tracts,  to   moult  when   there  is   a  general  moult  else- 
where is  frequent,  especially  with  young  birds  in  the  spring,  and 
old  feathers  persist,  noticeable  chiefly  when  of  a  different  color 
from  the  new.     These  old  feathers  are  often  a  valuable  key  to 
the  age  of  the  bird. 

[ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Aug.  3,  1900 — 7 


98  DWIGHT 

III.     EARLY  PLUMAGES  AND    MOULTS  OF 
YOUNG   BIRDS 

The  plumages  and  moults  of  young  birds  differ  so  much  from 
those  of  adults  as  to  deserve  further  elucidation.  Although 
feathers  of  adult  structure  are  acquired  and  worn  during  the 
first  winter  after  leaving  the  egg  there  are  two  antecedent  stages 
of  plumage  in  all  species  and  in  some,  several  subsequent  stages 
indefinitely  classed  as  immature,  all  of  which  are  but  imper- 
fectly understood. 

A  bird  on  emerging  from  £he  egg  may  be  absolutely  naked, 
of  which  the  Woodpeckers  furnish  an  example,  scantily  clothed 
with  downy  tufts  as  in  most  of  the  Perching  Birds,  or  com- 
pletely invested  with  downy  growth  as  in  the  Ducks,  the  Water 
Birds  and  the  Birds  of  Prey.  The  structure  of  this  "  nest-down" 
varies  greatly  in  the  different  groups  of  birds,  and  it  is  always 
replaced  by  several  other  plumages  before  that  of  the  adult  bird 
is  assumed.  Among  the  Passeres,  which  is  the  only  group 
here  under  consideration,  the  downy  growth  is  present  (at  least 
part  of  it  is)  before  the  chick  hatches.  It  is  found  at  only  a  few 
points.  A  longitudinal  row  or  two  is  found  above  the  eyes 
corresponding  nearly  to  the  location  of  the  superciliary  stripes, 
several  rows  occur  on  the  occiput  and  nape  and  tufts  are  found 
on  the  dorsal,  humeral  and  lumbar  tracts  as  well  as  filaments  at 
the  tips  of  the  secondaries  and  their  coverts.  No  down  is 
found  at  the  tips  of  the  primaries  or  rectrices  nor  does  it  occur 
on  the  ventral  tract  in  any  of  the  Passerine  species  I  have  exam- 
ined, the  protection  of  the  nest  perhaps  obviating  its  necessity 
below.  A  nest  full  of  young  birds  gives  one  the  impression  that 
they  are  covered  with  a  fluffy  blanket  of  down.  The  distribution 
of  these  downy  filaments  may  be  dimly  seen  by  consulting  plate 
III,  and  their  microscopic  structure  is  shown  by  plate  V  which 
illustrates  for  the  first  time  by  means  of  photography  the  exact 
structure  of  this  peculiar  plumage.  These  peculiar  feathers  are 
interesting  under  the  microscope  being  long  weak  filaments  with 
a  few  short  lateral  branches.  They  are  gathered  into  a  bundle 
at  the  tip  of  the  new  feather,  which  takes  their  place  and  they 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF    NEW   YORK  99 

adhere  at  its  apex  or  at  the  apices  of  its  barbs,  especially  about 
the  head,  for  some  time,  after  the  youngster  has  left  the  nest. 
Their  color  is  usually  pale  brown,  gray  or  white,  but  unfortu- 
nately many  of  the  specimens  I  have  examined  are  young  birds 
that  have  been  dropped  into  alcohol  without  note  having  been 
made  of  the  color  when  fresh. 

This  "  nest-down  "  or  as  it  might  most  appropriately  be  called 
natal  down  represents  a  first  stage  of  clothing  in  young  birds  even 
if  it  be  scanty  or  suppressed.  In  a  systematic  scheme  of  plum- 
ages it  must  stand  first  although  soon  replaced  by  a  second  stage 
on  which  the  name  "first  plumage"  has  unfortunately  been 
fastened  in  all  good  faith.  Without  entering  into  the  question  of 
whether  "  down  "  that  is  not  true  down  can  be  called  first  plum- 
age, I  find  it  expedient,  if  not  necessary,  for  the  sake  of  uni- 
formity and  clearness  to  bestow  a  new  name  on  the  second  stage, 
reserving  the  numeral  adjective  "  first  "  for  more  exact  and  im- 
portant application. 

Juvenal  plumage  is  a  term  definite  and  readily  understood  as 
indicating  the  second  plumage  of  a  young  bird  which  at  this 
stage  usually  differs  in  structure  much  from  that  of  the  adult, 
and  it  is  this  very  difference  that  is  implied  in  the  term  I  have 
selected.  The  juvenal  stage  succeeds  to  the  natal  and  feather 
growth  takes  place  over  additional  areas  of  skin  bare  during  the 
natal  stage  of  development.  The  juvenal  feathers  differ  more  or 
less  in  structure  from  those  of  adults,  being,  as  a  rule,  weaker, 
softer  and  looser  in  texture,  as  shown  by  the  photomicrograph 
(plate  IV,  fig.  1). 

During  the  early  days  of  the  newly-hatched  chick,  feather 
growth  is  comparatively  slow,  but  shortly  it  proceeds  with 
marvelous  rapidity.  A  couple  of  weeks,  more  or  less,  accord- 
to  the  size  of  the  species,  suffices  to  develop  a  helpless  birdling 
into  a  bold  bundle  of  feathers  ready  to  essay  flight.  The 
feathers  first  fully  grown  are  the  wing  coverts,  those  of  the  body 
and  top  of  head  next  appearing,  while  the  remiges  are  a  little 
later  and  the  rectrices  last  of  all.  The  flight-feathers  which  at 
first  lie  as  bluish  lines  beneath  the  skin  or  barely  protruding 
from  it,  develop  evenly,  all  the  quills  remaining  pulpy  for  a  con  - 


100  DWIGHT 

siderable  period  after  they  are  full  length.  The  under  wing 
coverts  as  well  as  the  feathers  of  the  carpo-metacarpal  area  on 
both  the  upper  and  under  surfaces  are  among  the  latest  feathers 
to  appear  in  the  wing  tract,  and  the  throat  and  sides  of  the  head 
are  often  still  bare  when  the  rest  of  the  body  and  head  is 
well  covered. 

When  the  next  plumage,  that  of  a  third  stage  worn  during 
the  first  autumn  and  winter,  is  assumed,  it  may  be  gained  by  a 
complete  moult  of  the  Juvenal  plumage,  but,  perhaps,  more  fre- 
quently the  wings  and  tail  are  retained,  not  to  be  renewed  for 
a  twelvemonth.  The  only  feathers  regularly  retained  at  this  time 
are  the  nine  (or  ten)  primaries,  their  upper  coverts  and  the  six 
secondaries.  The  tertiaries  are  sometimes  renewed,  sometimes 
not,  and  the  tail  is  irregular,  usually  following  the  example  of 
the  primaries.  All  other  feathers,  with  occasional  exceptions, 
are  replaced  by  new,  a  moult  which  may  properly  be  called 
the  postjuvenal,  beginning  in  many  species,  especially  the 
Warblers,  even  before  the  flight  feathers  have  reached  functional 
length.  In  some  species,  however,  the  juvena)  plumage  is 
worn  for  a  considerable  period,  even  several  months  before  any 
moult  takes  place.  These  birds  lose  all  trace  of  the  adherent 
feather  sheaths  indicating  recent  growth  and  are  the  ones  that 
most  frequently  renew  the  whole  plumage,  including  the  wings 
and  tail.  Summed  up  there  are  two  classes  of  young  birds, 
viz.,  those  that  acquire  the  plumage  of  the  first  winter  by  a  com- 
plete moult,  and  those  that  retain  the  quill  feathers  of  the  wings 
and  the  tail,  losing  all  others  of  the  Juvenal  plumage.  There 
are  individual  exceptions  in  both  classes  that  may  retain  old 
feathers  or  series  of  feathers  here  and  there  of  the  Juvenal  dress 
until  the  next  moult,  which  may  be  within  a  few  months  or  not 
for  a  twelvemonth,  many  species  breeding  in  the  plumage  of 
the  first  winter. 

In  some  species  the  plumage  following  the  Juvenal  may  be 
indistinguishable  from  that   of  the   adult,  in   others 
dress  may  be  assumed  just  before  the  first  breeding  season  and  n 
still  others  not  till  after  this   season.      Beyond   this   po 
not  possible,  except  in  a  very  few  cases,  to  follow  the  immature 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF  NEW  YORK  101 

bird  which  at  one  or  the  other  of  these  three  periods  of  moult 
becomes  indistinguishable  from  the  adult  and  may  be  so  classed. 
It  is  well  to  grasp  the  idea  that  the  flight-feathers  may  out- 
wear two  or  three  sets  of  body  feathers  and  a  bird  does  not 
really  attain  full  adult  dress  until  the  former  are  replaced.  In 
most,  if  not  all  cases  where  mixed  plumages  are  seen  during  the 
breeding  season,  they  do  not  represent  birds  of  different  ages 
but  illustrate  individual  variation  at  the  first  prenuptial  moult. 
Unmixed  plumages — adults  and  young  being  of  uniformly  dif- 
ferent colors  like  the  Purple  Finch  (Carpodacus  purpureus) — 
are  presumptive  evidence  that  no  prenuptial  moult  occurs. 

I  have  occasionally  seen  birds  still  partly  in  immature  dress 
after  the  moult  at  the  end  of  their  first  breeding  season  as  may 
be  determined  by  left-over  feathers,  but  these  birds  usually 
show  a  plumage  so  nearly  of  the  adult  type  as  to  suggest  that 
they  are  exceptions  in  which  there  has  been  some  individual 
lack  of  vitality.  Unfortunately  we  have  no  other  available 
guide  except  plumage  to  determine  whether  a  bird  is  one,  two 
or  more  years  old  and  moreover  there  is  a  great  dearth  of 
winter  specimens  from  the  tropics  showing  while  fresh  the 
changes  produced  by  the  prenuptial  moult.  Summed  up,  there 
are  three  periods  of  moult  at  any  one  of  which  a  young  bird 
may  assume  full  adult  plumage,  the  postjuvenal,  the  first  pre- 
nuptial and  the  first  postnuptial,  and  prior  to  each  of  them  the 
plumage  may  be  immature  and  made  up  of  feathers  which  have 
grown  at  different  periods.  These  successive  plumages  follow 
each  other  with  the  regularity  of  the  seasons  and  will  be  more 
fully  discussed  under  the  following  section.  More  light  is  needed 
on  some  species,  but  whether  the  immature  dress  requires  one 
moult  or  two  or  three  to  convert  it  into  adult  plumage  is  im- 
material and  does  not  alter  one  whit,  the  fact  that  it  is  lost  and 
replaced  by  actual  moult  at  definite  periods. 

IV.  SEQUENCE  OF  PLUMAGES  AND  MOULTS 

The  relation  between  plumages  and  moults  is  so  perfectly 
definite  and  at  the  same  time  has  been  so  little  comprehended 


102  DWIGHT 

that  only  by  a  radical  rearrangement  and  delimitation  of  the  terms 
used  may  further  confusion  be  avoided.  The  chief  thing  to  bear 
in  mind  is  that  every  species  passes  through  a  definite  series  of 
plumages  and  a  definite  series  of  moults,  each  plumage  being 
succeeded  either  by  a  moult  or  the  place  of  the  moult  may  be 
taken  by  wear  alone.  There  is  no  theory  about  this  cardinal 
principle  and  there  are  ample  facts  to  support  it.  Of  many  spe- 
cies, I  have  examined  specimens  taken  every  month  in  the  year 
showing  not  only  the  sequence  of  plumages  and  moults  but  all 
of  the  intermediate  steps  by  which  the  plumage  has  been  ac- 
quired or  modified.  With  an  abundance  of  material  there  is 
not  the  slightest  difficulty  in  explaining  plumages,  but  in  many 
species  there  are  gaps  which  careful  study  of  the  feathers  and 
the  application  of  fundamental  principles  must  be  trusted  to 
fill.  For  instance,  when  the  Scarlet  Tanagers  (Piranga  erytliro- 
melas)  leave  the  vicinity  of  New  York  towards  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember, all  of  them  are  in  the  olive  green  body  plumage  of  the 
female,  the  young  males  with  similarly  colored  wings  and  tails, 
the  adults  with  black  wings  and  tails.  When  the  males  return 
in  May  all  are  in  bright  scarlet  dress  with  black  tails,  but  a 
certain  number  of  them  have  worn  brown  wing  quills.  The 
red  feathers  examined  under  a  glass  are  quite  as  fresh  as  the 
green  ones  seen  in  September.  If  the  wings  are  examined, 
both  the  brown  and  the  black  quills  will  show  wear,  the  black 
least  as  might  be  expected  from  their  color.  If  the  tails  are 
examined  those  of  the  black-winged  birds  are  slightly  worn, 
those  of  the  brown-winged  fresh  and  new.  It  is  a  perfectly 
natural  inference  that  the  brown-winged  birds  are  young  males 
and  that  they  have  acquired  the  red  body  plumage  and  the 
black  tail  by  a  recent  moult  while  the  adults  have  not  moulted 
the  wings  and  tail,  but  merely  assumed  the  red  body  plumage. 
Further  evidence  in  support  of  this  conclusion  is  afforded  by 
patches  of  worn  green  feathers  left  over  among  the  red,  such 
feathers  occurring  most  frequently  in  the  brown-winged  young 
birds  and  finally  we  sometimes  find  red  feathers  still  invested 
with  their  scaly  sheaths.  The  only  gap  left  is  a  Tanager  show- 
ing extensive  moult,  and  it  is  safe  to  predict  that  such  a  speci- 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF   NEW   YORK  103 

men  will  some  day  be  forthcoming  from  the  tropics  where  the 
change  from  grcen  to  red  probably  takes  place.  Similar  facts 
point  to  a  similar  moult  in  the  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak  (Habia 
ludoviciana]  which  a  winter  specimen  from  Ecuador  in  the 
British  Museum  collection  confirms,  and  I  have  seen  one  bird 
taken  near  New  York  still  showing  several  rectrices  partly 
grown.  Again  if  we  examine  Baltimore  Orioles  (Icterus  galbuld) 
when  they  reach  us  in  May  we  shall  find  birds  with  black  worn 
wings,  wing  coverts,  tertiaries  and  tails .  and  others  with  brown 
worn  wings  while  the  rest  of  the  plumage  is  fresh  and  new. 
The  inference  is  a  moult  in  young  birds  and  none  in  adults 
and  this  is  proved  by  two  young  winter  birds  from  Central 
America,  unfortunately  without  other  data  which  show  new 
growing  feathers  at  the  points  where  a  moult  regularly  begins. 
These  examples  are  only  several  among  many  that  could  be 
adduced  to  show  upon  what  slender  but  conclusive  evidence  one 
must  work.  The  only  reason  it  is  slender  is  because  the  number 
of  specimens  from  southern  latitudes  is  small,  and  when  this 
deficiency  is  remedied,  I  am  convinced  the  difficulties  with  which 
I  have  had  to  contend  will  vanish.  We  will  then  know,  for  in- 
stance, when  it  is  that  the  young  King-bird  (Tyrannus  tyrannus) 
exchanges  the  two  outer  rounded  primaries  for  the  emarginate 
ones  with  which  it  returns  and  when  the  young  Barn  Swallow 
(Chelidon  crythrogastrd)  assumes  the  attenuated  lateral  tail 
feathers  so  different  from  the  ones  worn  when  it  leaves  us  in  the 
autumn.  (See  plate  II,  figs.  18-21.)  Probably  no  one  claims 
nowadays  that  these  new  shapes  are  attained  without  growth  of 
new  feathers,  and  yet  equally  strange  claims  of  color  change 
without  moult  have  been  put  forth  when  there  were  no  speci- 
mens taken  at  the  proper  season  to  prove  their  absurdity. 

In  order  to  show  at  a  glance  the  relation  that  exists  in  the 
sequence  of  plumages  and  moults  they  are  tabulated  below  in 
such  form  that  they  may  be  made  applicable  to  any  species. 
The  terms  employed  have  been  chosen,  so  far  as  is  compatible 
with  conciseness,  from  those  in  common  use.  Some  are  neces- 
sarily new  but  I  have  selected  all  of  them  with  the  object  of 
making  antithesis  as  obvious  as  possible. 


104  DWIGHT 

The  first  column  contains  the  plumages  in  their  natural  se- 
quence and  the  second  the  moults  which  (unless  suppressed)  fol- 
low each  of  them. 

PLUMAGES  MOULTS 

1.  Natal  Postnatal 

2.  Juvenal  Postjuvenal 

3.  First  Winter  First  Prenuptial 

4.  First  Nuptial  First  Postnuptial 

5.  Second  or  Adult  Winter  Second  or  Adult  Prenuptial 

6.  Second  or  Adult  Nuptial  Second  or  Adult  Postnuptial 

etc.  etc. 

Just  as  soon  as.a  young  bird  becomes  indistinguishable  in  plu- 
mage, from  an  adult,  "  first,"  "  second"  or  "  third"  may  be  drop- 
ped and  "adult"  substituted,  both  for  plumages  and  for  moults, 
the  plumages  being  thereafter  "  Adult  Nuptial"  and  "  Adult 
Winter"  and  the  moults  simply  "  Prenuptial"  and  "  Postnuptial" 
as  long  as  the  bird  lives.  As  a  matter  of  fact  in  none  of  the 
Passerine  species  which  I  have  studied  are  there  more  than  six 
plumages  and  six  moults,  except  in  a  few  rare  individual  cases,  be- 
fore a  bird  becomes  indistinguishable  from  one  that  may  have  had 
twice  as  many.  In  most  species  the  identity  of  old  and  young 
is  lost  much  earlier,  the  rule  being  that  young  assume  adult 
plumage  never  later  than  the  moult  at  which  they  first  renew 
the  remiges  and  rectrices.  Wear  with  its  abrasion  and  fading 
often  takes  the  place  wholly  or  in  part  of  a  prenuptial  moult, 
modifying  in  marked  degree  either  the  first  winter  or  the  adult 
winter  dress.  Consequently  the  plumage  to  which  I  would  re- 
strict the  name  nuptial  may  be  acquired  by  moult,  by  wear  or 
by  both,  and  it  is  not  the  true  breeding  plumage.  The  latter 
may  be  either  a  fresh  nuptial  or  a  worn  nuptial,  but  as  the  dif- 
ferences produced  by  wear  after  the  prenuptial  moult  are  usually 
not  very  obvious,  it  would  be  inexpedient  to  try  to  draw  too 
sharp  a  line  between  "  nuptial"  and  "  breeding,"  although  recog- 
nizing a  distinction.  The  breeding  plumage,  then,  on  which 
descriptions  of  species  are  based  does  not,  in  very  many  cases, 
represent  the  highest  plumage  of  the  species  ;  it  may  be  a  mix- 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  105 

ture  of  several  and  all  of  them  badly  worn.  For  this  reason  I 
have  chosen  nuptial  to  represent  a  stage  of  plumage  following 
immediately  either  the  prenuptial  moult  or  the  time  when  it 
would  naturally  occur,  if  not  omitted. 

In  studying  the  plumages  and  moults  in  the  natural  order  in 
which  they  follow  each  other  one  can  hardly  fail  to  be  struck 
by  the  fact  that  in  spite  of  many  apparent  contradictions  they 
make  up  for  each  species  a  purposeful  and  harmonious  whole 
and  the  series  for  any  given  species  is  always  the  same  when 
proper  allowance  is  made  for  age,  sex  and  individual.  STONE 
('96)  has  been  one  of  the  few  to  grasp  the  idea  of  sequence,  but 
he  has  not  fully  nor  clearly  developed  it.  Foreign  observers 
have  devoted  much  time  to  the  study  of  feather  development 
and  feather  colors  and  have  even  recognized  "  generations  "  of 
feathers,  but  there  is  still  lack  of  definite  information  regarding 
the  moults  of  the  commonest  species,  and  the  relations  between 
plumages  and  moults  remains  in  many  cases  a  matter  for  dispute. 

It  is  well  worth  one's  while  to  take  up  each  of  the  plumages 
in  sequence.  They  represent  separate  stages  or  periods  in  a 
bird's  life,  however  much  they  may  blend  with  one  another. 
The  first  two  are  peculiar  to  young  birds  before  they  assume 
feathers  of  the  adult  type  (excepting  the  remiges  and  rectrices 
in  some  species).  Later  stages  mark  a  winter  plumage  and  a 
summer  plumage  alternating  as  long  as  the  individual  is  alive. 
These  stages  make  up  what  I  have  designated  as  the  sequence 
of  plumages  and  unless  this  idea  of  sequence  is  firmly  fixed  in 
mind  no  adequate  conception  of  the  beautiful  symmetry  which 
underlies  the  development  of  plumages  will  be  gained. 

1.  Natal  Plumage  or  Natal  Down  (plates  III  and  V). 
Enough  perhaps  has  already  been  said  regarding  this  first 
stage,  scanty  and  evanescent  as  the  plumage  is  in  Passerine 
species.  It  has  been  recognized  as  the  "  downy  stage"  of  the 
Raptores,  it  clothes  the  "  chick"  of  the  Grouse  and  their  allies, 
while  "young  in  down"  and  other  similar  terms  have  been 
used  in  the  groups  just  mentioned  and  in  the  multitudes  of  spe- 
cies known  as  the  Water  Birds.  This  "down,"  however,  lacks 
the  structure  of  true  down  feathers.  In  Passerine  birds  it  is 


106  DWIGHT 

usually  brown  or  gray,  is  found  at  only  a  few  points  on  the 
upper  surface  of  the  bird,  fades  rapidly  and  begins  to  be  lost  by 
a  complete  postnatal  moult  before  the  nest  is  abandoned.  It 
persists  but  a  few  weeks  at  most  and  is  last  seen  as  waving  fila- 
ments at  the  apices  of  the  feathers  which  succeed  it. 

2.  Juvenal  Plumage  (plate  IV,  fig.  1,  and  plate  V).  This 
second  stage  has  also  been  explained  earlier.  It  has  gone  by 
a  number  of  names,  and  the  succeeding  plumage  is  very  often 
confused  with  it.  "  Nestling  "  and  "  fledgling  "  are  names  that 
have  currency,  but  the  most  generally  accepted  term  in  this 
country  has  been  "  first  plumage."  If  it  were  not  that  a  much 
better  and  more  exact  use  of  the  numeral  adjective  "  first  "  re- 
quires its  use  elsewhere,  the  term  might  stand,  misnomer  that  it 
is,  but  I  feel  that  it  should  be  displaced  by  "Juvenal  "  to  which 
the  chief  objection  must  be  its  novelty. 

The  juvenal  plumage  has  been  a  good  deal  neglected  and 
comparatively  few  specimens  have  found  their  way  into  collec- 
tions until  of  late  years.  The  most  valuable  contribution  to 
the  subject  was  made  twenty  years  ago  (BREWSTER,  '78-'79) 
and  only  here  and  there  since  then  we  have  heard  more  about 
it.  Much  of  the  juvenal  plumage  is  acquired  in  Passerine 
species  before  the  bird  leaves  the  nest,  not  only  directly  dis- 
placing the  natal  down,  but  growing  from  an  increased  area  of 
the  skin.  It  is  completely  assumed  in  about  three  weeks  at 
most.  Males  and  females  of  most  species  are  indistinguishable 
in  this  plumage  unless  the  wing  quills  and  tail  are  different  in 
the  two  sexes.  The  body  plumage  of  the  male  may  be  brighter 
or  darker  in  a  few  cases,  but  as  a  rule  the  only  difference  is  in 
the  wings  and  tail.  The  body  plumage  is  softer  and  the  feathers 
less  distinctly  pennaceous  than  those  of  the  adult  while  the  rem- 
iges  and  rectrices  although  frequently  appearing  identical  with 
adult  feathers  are  regularly  less  pigmeiited  and  suffer  more  from 
wear  probably  because  of  their  less  compact  margins.  This 
plumage  may  resemble  somewhat  that  of  the  adult  although 
usually  it  is  quite  different  in  pattern  and  color.  Young  birds 
in  this  dress  are  frequently  spotted  or  streaked  below  while  the 
adults  are  immaculate  and  less  often  the  reverse  is  the  case. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  107 

In  many  species,  especially  among  the  Warblers  and  Vireos, 
a  moult  begins  at  the  usual  points  on  the  breast  almost  as  soon 
as  the  birds  leave  the  nest  and  the  succeeding  winter  plumage  is 
assumed  usually  without  loss  of  wings  or  tail.  In  many  other 
species,  however,  this  plumage  is  worn  for  several  weeks  or  even 
several  months  before  the  postjuvenal  moult  sets  in,  and  such 
birds  as  a  rule  completely  renew  their  plumage.  Without  speci- 
mens taken  at  just  the  proper  time  it  is  extremely  easy  to  over- 
look the  moult  of  the  flight-feathers  which  often  resemble  very 
closely  in  pattern  or  color  those  which  they  replace.  Most  of  the 
Swallows  and  Flycatchers  and  a  few  other  species  after  wearing 
the  juvenal  plumage  for  a  long  period  leave  for  the  south  with- 
out apparent  renewal.  This  is  indicated  by  specimens  from  the 
tropics  which  prove  a  later  or  midwinter  postjuvenal  moult  at  a 
period  when  other  species  have  begun  their  prenuptial.  Only 
occasionally  parts  of  this  plumage  fail  to  be  replaced,  and  are, 
of  course,  retained  until  the  next  occurring  moult,  becoming 
meanwhile  worn  and  ragged.  As  a  rule  the  primary  coverts  are 
regularly  retained  with  the  primaries,  the  greater  coverts  usually 
renewed,  but  sometimes  retained  as  in  the  Thrushes  and  some 
others,  the  median  and  lesser  coverts  almost  always  renewed 
and  the  tertiaries  sometimes  renewed  and  sometimes  not,  even  in 
the  same  species.  The  alulae  are  regularly  renewed,  but  not  in 
all  cases.  The  moult  of  the  remiges  and  rectrices  depends 
upon  the  species,  many  retaining  them  for  a  whole  year  until 
the  postnuptial  moult  takes  place  the  following  summer.  All 
other  feathers  not  already  specified  are  regularly  moulted. 

3.  First  Winter  Plumage  (plate  IV,  fig.  2,  plate  VI,  fig.  1). 
This  is  the  plumage  usually  designated  as  "  immature  fall," 
"young  in  autumnal  plumage,"  "young  of  the  year,"  "  horno- 
tine  "  and  various  other  appellations  with  elastic  meanings.  It 
seems  to  me  the  name  selected  is  most  appropriate  for  this  third 
stage  to  the  exclusion  of  others,  for  the  plumages  of  successive 
winters  may  then  be  called  "second,"  "third,"  etc.,  if  desirable, 
or  "adult  "  take  the  place  of  these  adjectives  as  soon  as  age 
characters  are  lost.  The  first  winter  plumage,  always  assumed 
by  a  more  or  less  complete  postjuvenal  moult,  differs  little  if 


108  DWIGHT 

any  in  texture  from  that  of  the  adult  and  in  a  number  .of 
species  adults  and  young  cannot  be  told  apart,  except  by  osteo- 
logical  characters.  This  plumage  is  acquired  within  about  three 
weeks  after  leaving  the  nest  in  some  species,  the  first  signs  ap- 
pearing as  V-shaped  patches  on  the  breast.  In  other  species 
which  have  a  complete  postjuvenal  moult  the  process  of  acquisi- 
tion takes  longer  and  does  not  begin  for  a  considerable  period  after 
leaving  the  nest.  Among  the  Passerine  species  of  New  York, 
at  least,  this  plumage  is  fully  assumed  before  the  y6*ung  birds 
migrate,  except  among  the  Swallows,  the  Flycatchers  and,  per- 
haps, a  few  others.  Sometimes  one  may  see  a  feather  of  the 
Juvenal  plumage  borne  at  the  apex  of  a  feather  of  this  dress, 
and,  rarely,  even  a  filament  of  natal  down  will  be  found  adhering 
in  turn  to  the  Juvenal  feather.  To  what  extent  new  feather 
papillae  develop  and  where  is  of  interest  in  all  early  stages,  and 
the  subject  is  perhaps  not  exhausted.  The  feathering  in  the 
first  winter  plumage  is  dense,  a  dozen  layers  or  more  covering 
the  breast  for  instance,  and  the  colors  are  usually  bright 
and  much  "  veiled  "  by  the  overlapping  of  the  long  feather 
tips,  the  barbs  of  which  are  almost  always  terminally  of  a  paler 
or  different  color,  the  most  frequent  edgings  being  buff.  The 
amount  of  this  edging  or  tipping  varies  greatly  and  there  is  ap- 
parently always  more  of  it  in  young  birds  than  in  adults  of  the 
second  or  third  winters.  It  readily  wears  away  and  in  some 
species  striking  changes  are  produced  without  moult  by  the 
time  the  breeding  season  arrives.  Not  only  are  the  concealed 
colors  brought  out  by  the  loss  of  the  overlying  feather  tips,  but 
the  shapes  of  the  feathers  themselves  are  changed.  This  may 
be  called  a  color  change  without  moult,  but  there  is  a  sharp  di- 
viding line  between  this  result  of  wear  and  the  alleged  color 
change  ascribed  to  some  sort  of  unknown  cell  activity  within 
the  feather  itself. 

The  first  winter  plumage  is  completely  donned  in  some 
species  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  city,  as  early  as  the  first  of 
August,  in  others  not  before  the  middle  of  November,  while 
the  departed  Swallows  and  Flycatchers  are  sometimes  even 
later.  It  may  be  worn  a  full  year  without  any  moult  occurring 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF  NEW   YORK  109 

as  for  example  in  the  Song  Sparrow  (Melospiza  fasciata],  or 
Bluebird  (Sialia  sialis),  or  a  prenuptial  moult,  usually  partial 
sometimes  complete,  takes  place  evidently  for  the  purpose  of 
supplying  a  portion  at  least  of  the  bright  feathers  of  the  adult. 
In  the  plumage  of  the  first  winter  males  and  females  may  usually 
be  told  apart  for  the  first  time  and  the  tendency  is  for  males  in 
this  dress  to  resemble,  although  brighter  in  color,  the  adult  fe- 
male in  winter  dress.  There  is  however  great  individual  varia- 
tion, some  males  assuming  here  and  there  few  or  many  feathers 
fully  adult  in  pattern  and  color.  It  is  fair  to  suppose  such  birds 
to  have  unusual  vitality  and  mere  precocity  must  not  be  confused 
with  what  generally  takes  place.  Then  there  is  the  other  ex- 
treme where  a  bird  fails  to  reach  the  standard  and  a  deficiency 
of  pigment  or  failure  to  moult  the  Juvenal  feathers  occurs  ;  and 
it  requires  a  great  many  specimens  to  be  sure  of  what  the  nor- 
mal acquisitions  really  are.  As  a  general  rule  the  depth  of 
color  in  the  wings  and  tails  of  young  birds  will  average  less  than 
that  of  adults,  and  in  some  species  this  character  becomes  more 
pronounced  the  longer  the  plumage  is  worn.  The  increasing 
depth  of  color  apparent  in  some  species  while  they  are  assuming 
first  winter  plumage,  is  I  think,  largely  due  to  superimposed 
layers  of  new  feathers. 

The  small  size  of  the  bill  of  young  birds  is  a  character  dis- 
tinguishing them  from  adults  for  a  long  time  and  a  deepening  or 
change  in  its  color  is  marked  in  some  species.  The  color  too 
of  the  iris  is  sometimes  strikingly  different  in  young  birds  and 
helps  determine  their  age.  The  change  during  the  winter  from 
brown  to  red  in  the  iris  of  the  Red-eyed  Vireo  (  Vireo  olivaceus) 
and  from  gray  to  white  in  the  White-eyed  Vireo,  (  Vireo  nove- 
boracemis)  is  only  somewhat  more  striking  than  what  occurs  in 
many  other  species.  Legs  and  feet  also  deepen  in  color. 

About  nine  out  of  ten  birds  in  most  collections  are  in  first 
winter  plumage,  and  it  is  one  that  ought  to  be  thoroughly  un- 
derstood. 

4.  First  Nuptial  Plumage  (plate  IV,  fig.  3  ;  plate  VI,  fig.  3  ; 
plate  VII,  fig.  4).  This  is  a  fourth  stage  representing  the  dress 
assumed  by  young  or  immature  birds  during  their  first 


110  DWIGHT 

breeding  season,    and   contrasting   with   the     "  second"     and 
"third"  (or  adult)  nuptial  of  successive  breeding  seasons.      It 
may  be  simply  the  first  winter  plumage   plus  a  certain   amount 
of  wear,  it  may  be  the  result  of  a  complete  prenuptial  moult 
or  it  may    be  the   result  of    a  partial     prenuptial  moult  plus 
wear  of  the  retained  feathers.       Consequently  it  is  not  infre- 
quently made    up  of    feathers  belonging    to    three    diffferent 
stages,  the  old  wings  and  tail  of  the  Juvenal  dress,  part  of  the 
old    body  plumage  of  the  first  winter  dress  and  new  feathers 
of  the  first  nuptial  dress.     The  most  confusing  admixture  of 
these  different  plumages  may  be  seen  in  some  species,  individual 
variation  and  sex  being  also  potent  factors  in  producing  combi- 
nations of  feathers  that  furnish  even  to-day  some  very  puzzling 
problems.     Species  that  complete  the  postju venal  moult  before 
moving   south   and   those    that    consummate    their    prenuptial 
moult  in  our  latitude  offer  at  the  present  time  no  problems  at 
all,  and  when  material  illustrating  the  moults  of  species  that 
undergo  the  process  while  in  distant  lands  is  obtained,  I  ven- 
ture to  predict  that  problems  will  cease  to  exist.      It  is  sugges- 
tive that  theories  have  clustered  chiefly  about  brightly  colored 
species  few  of  which  attain  adult  dress  without  passing  through 
a  series   of   moults,  the   counterpart  of  which   may  be  found 
among  less  conspicuous  species.      Bright  adults  taken  at  the 
same  season"  as  young  birds  variously  sprinkled  with  irregular 
patches  of  color  have  furnished  a  theme  for  endless  argument, 
and  assertions  of  "restoration"  and  "  repigmentation."     These 
irregular  patches  will  be  found  to  correspond  in  every  case  with 
the  points  in  the  feather  tracts  where  the  moult  usually  begins 
or  in  the  series  of  feathers  that  ordinarily  precede  other  series. 
There  is  some  irregularity,  of  course,  but  these  feathers  will 
almost  invariably  be  less  worn  than  those  adjacent.     I  find  just 
such  patches  and  sprinklings  of  feathers   on   birds  of  incon- 
spicuous plumage,  and  I  can  prove  their  growth  at  the  pre- 
nuptial moult  in  many  species  of  which  I  have  large  series  and 
in  some    others  from  southern  latitudes   represented  by   only 
a    few  specimens.     It   would    be    difficult    to    say  why  some 
species  pass  their  first  breeding  season  in  the  plumage  of  the 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  111 

first  winter  altered  only  by  wear,  while  others  closely  allied 
whether  specifically  or  by  habit  undergo  a  more  or  less 
complete  prenuptial  moult,  but  the  fact  is  incontestable.  It 
is  unfortunate  that  we  have  so  little  material  illustrating  this 
moult  which  takes  place  in  so  many  species  while  they  are 
away  in  their  southern  haunts,  their  winter  wanderings  carrying 
some  of  them  beyond  the  equator. 

The  facts  concerning  the  time  of  this  moult  are  these.  In 
the  vicinity  of  New  York,  resident  species  and  birds  that  winter 
begin  to  moult  towards  the  end  of  March  as  exemplified  by  the 
Myrtle  Warbler  (Dendroica  coronatd)  or  Ipswich  Sparrow  (Am- 
modramus  princeps.)  A  little  later  such  species  as  the  Amer- 
ican Goldfinch  (Spinus  tristis)  and  White-throated  Sparrow 
(Zonotriclda  albicollis)  begin  a  moult  completed  early  in  May. 
Many  other  species  that  do  not  winter  very  far  to  the  south 
appear  to  moult  in  February  or  March  sometimes  arriving  here 
with  visible  traces  of  recent  feather-growth.  The  most  difficult 
plumages  to  explain  are  those  of  birds  which  move  south  early 
in  the  autumn  before  the  customary  postjuvenal  of  young  birds 
or  the  postnuptial  of  adults  has  taken  place.  It  seems  probable 
that  in  these  species,  which  include  some  of  the  Swallows  and 
Flycatchers,  there  is  a  late  postnuptial  moult  of  adults  simul- 
taneous with  a  partial  postjuvenal  of  young  birds  the  latter  in 
some  cases  shortly  after  passing  through  a  complete  or  partial 
prenuptial  moult.  This  is  the  usual  sequence  in  species  that 
moult  while  with  us  and  a  few  specimens  from  far  southern 
counties  near  the  tropics  show  moult  in  mid-winter  and  in 
spring.  The  fact  that  new  growth  of  feathers  occurs  during 
the  winter  in  many  species  is  beyond  doubt — the  only  question 
to  be  solved  is,  when  ?  That  the  postjuvenal  and  prenuptial 
seasons  of  moult  overlap,  although  not  in  the  same  species,  is 
proved  by  numerous  specimens  of  Warblers  I  have  seen  which 
begin  to  assume  their  first  nuptial  dress  as  early  as  November 
and  December  (in  Jamaica,  West  Indies)  although  January  and 
February  specimens  are  in  more  active  moult.  In  some  species 
the  prenuptial  moult  appears  to  proceed  very  slowly  and 
irregularly. 


112  D  WIGHT 

The  prenuptial  moult  is  certainly  a  most  interesting  subject 
and  it  is  one  upon  which  we  have  had  very  little  light  shed. 
Its  purpose  is  double,  to  approximate  the  plumage  of  the  young 
bird  to  that  of  the  adult  and  to  adorn  the  adult  with  his  brightest 
colors.  In  females  the  prenuptial  moult  is  either  limited  or  even 
altogether  suppressed,  and  a  fresh  complication  arises  in  species- 
in  which  it  occurs  only  in  the  young  bird,  not  to  be  repeated  a 
second  year.  Each  species  appears  to  have  a  definite  type  of 
moult  although  individual  vigor  and  sex  modify  it  and  produce 
all  sorts  of  combinations  of  plumage. 

Some  species  undergo  a  complete  moult  like  the  Bobolink 
(Dolichonyx  oryzivortis),  Long-billed  Marsh  Wren  (Cistothorus 
palustris),  or  Sharp-tailed  Sparrow  (Ammodramus  caudacutits) 
others  acquire  distal  primaries  and  part  of  the  body  plumage 
like  the  Indigo  Bunting  (Passerina  cyaned)  or  Short-billed 
Marsh  Wren  (Cistothorus  stellaris);  others  renew  the  whole 
body  plumage  but  not  the  wings  or  tail  like  many  of  the 
Warblers,  or  the  American  Goldfinch  (Spinus  tristis);  and  still 
others  renew  but  a  small  area  of  the  head  and  throat  like  the 
Chipping  Sparrow  (Spizella  socialis)  or  Palm  Warbler  (Dendroica 
palmanwi).  These  are  some  of  the  classes  into  which  the  birds 
naturally  fall  but  there  is  no  hard  and  fast  line  between  them. 
Ordinarily  the  anterior  parts  of  the  body  are  most  frequently 
subject  to  moult,  the  posterior  parts  less  and  the  flight-feathers 
least,  but  a  few  stray  feathers  are  apt  to  develop  on  all  of  the 
body  tracts  at  this  moult  in  presumably  vigorous  individuals. 
The  sprinkling  of  new  feathers  is  well  shown  in  such  species  as 
the  Summer  Tanager  (Piranga  rubra},  and  is  only  less  con- 
spicuous in  the  Palm  Warbler  (Dendroica  palmaruni).  From 
what  I  have  said  it  is  obvious  that  the  first  nuptial  plumage  is 
the  most  difficult  of  any  to  properly  understand.  It  is  the  cul- 
mination of  the  rapid  series  of  moults  through  which  a  young  bird 
passes  and  in  many  species  lands  him  in. full  adult  dress.  When 
adults  and  young  appear  to  be  alike  in  plumage  in  the  breeding 
season  some  clue  to  their  age  may  often  be  found  in  the  duller 
and  more  worn  wings  and  tail  retained  from  the  Juvenal  stage  of 
the  previous  summer.  The  primary  coverts  are  valuable  keys 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  113 

as  well  as  any  feathers  retained  elsewhere,  but  all  other  plum- 
age characters  are  unreliable.  I  can  only  suspect  that  freak 
plumages  and  albinism  occur  most  often  in  young  birds  judging 
by  a  few  that  I  have  examined. 

When  no  prenuptial  moult  occurs  the  first  nuptial  plumage 
is  the  first  winter  plumage  plus  wear,  and  perhaps  no  more  de- 
serves a  new  name  than  does  the  continuation  of  a  street. 
There  are,  however,  some  advantages  in  changing  the  name  in 
either  case.  Wear  in  many  species  effects  striking  color  changes 
by  loss  of  feather  edgings  or  feather  barbules,  when  concealed 
colors  are  brought  into  view  or  modified  in  intensity  by  con- 
trast. As  these  changes  are  varied  and  fully  discussed  under 
the  species  in  which  they  occur  they  need  not  be  particularized 
here.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  wear  is  a  constantly  acting 
force,  its  effects  being  perhaps  most  noticeable  in  those  species 
in  which  black  areas  are  veiled  by  buff  feather  tips. 

The  importance  of  understanding  the  first  nuptial  plumage 
has  been  I  hope,  sufficiently  demonstrated  and  with  full  knowl- 
edge of  its  intricacies,  there  remains  no  peg  on  which  to  hang 
silly  theories  which  are  disproved  by  every  established  fact. 

5.  Second  or  Adult  Winter  Plumage  (plate  VII,  figs.  1  and  3). 
This  fifth  stage  known  usually  as  the  "  adult  autumnal"  plumage 
is  always  the  result  of  a  complete  first  postnuptial  moult,  usually 
directly  at  the  close  of  the  breeding  season  and  before  migra- 
tion begins,  except  among  the  Swallows,  Flycatchers  and  pos- 
sibly a  few  others  that  press  south  first.  This  plumage  is  often 
quite  different  from  the  first  winter  dress  and  even  when  practi- 
cally indistinguishable  to  superficial  observation,  the  wings  and 
tail  are  of  a  deeper  color  and  the  edgings  richer  and  darker. 
Streakings  will  average  broader  and  spots  larger  in  the  adult 
while  veiling  seems  to  diminish  according  to  age,  as  shown  by 
specimens  in  moult  or  retaining  tell-tale  feathers  of  the  ojd  plu- 
mage, but  unfortunately  age  can  seldom  be  determined  after  a 
bird  is  one  year  old.  It  is  contrary  to  popular  belief  that  birds 
acquire  adult  plumage  within  so  brief  a  time,  but  all  the  evi- 
dence points  that  way.  In  many  species  young- and  old  are  in- 
distinguishable in  winter  dress,  as  may  be  demonstrated  beyond 

ANNALS  N.  Y.    ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Aug.  4,  1900 — 8. 


114  DWIGHT 

doubt  by  the  cranial  character  on  which  I  would  lay  so  much 
stress.  The  Purple  Crackle  (Quiscalus  quisculd)  and  many  of 
the  Sparrows  are  examples.  The  prenuptial  moult  may  oblit- 
erate distinctions  that  survive  the  postjuvenal  moult,  for  instance 
in  the  Yellow  Warbler  (Dendroica  <zstivd)  or  White-throated 
Sparrow  (Zonotrichia  albicollis).  Distinctions  that  have  survived 
the  two  earlier  moults,  whatever  may  have  been  their  extent  ap- 
pear to  vanish  at  the  first  postnuptial.  If  I  had  ever  found  au- 
tumnal specimens  in  immature  plumage,  showing  the  characters 
of  the  adult  skull,  I  would  be  ready  to  admit  that  some  species 
pass  a  second  winter  in  immature  dress,  but  I  fail  to  find  any 
such  birds.  On  the  other  hand  I  do  find  birds  in  adult  winter 
plumage  with  a  few  of  the  feathers  that  characterize  the  first 
nuptial  dress.  I  have  seen  such  specimens  actually  in  moult  of 
the  Indigo  Bunting  (Passerina  cyaned),  Orchard  Oriole  {Icterus 
spurius),  Redstart  (Setophaga  ruticilld)  and  others  supposed  to  re- 
quire several  years  to  attain  fully  adult  plumage.  That  variety 
of  plumages  is  due  primarily  to  individual  variation  can  be 
proved  beyond  dispute  by  many  specimens  in  first  winter  plu- 
mage, and  also  by  many  in  first  nuptial  dress  when  parts  of  the 
previous  plumages  are  retained.  That  even  the  most  highly 
colored  species  require  but  one  year  to  attain  fully  adult  plu- 
mage is  therefore  not  a  matter  so  difficult  of  demonstration  when 
adult  autumnal  specimens  are  secured  in  moult  still  retaining 
the  tell-tale  feathers  of  their  first  nuptial  dress. 

6.  Second  or  Adult  Nuptial  Plumage  (plate  VII,  fig.  2).  This 
sixth  stage  acquired  like  the  fourth  by  wear  alone,  by  moult  or 
by  a  combination  of  the  two  can  only  be  distinguished  from  later 
nuptial  plumages  in  a  very  few  exceptional  cases  in  which  either 
first  nuptial  feathers  have  been  retained  after  the  first  post-nup- 
tial moult  or  birds  are  taken  in  the  midst  of  it.  As  this  moult 
is  normally  complete,  the  second  nuptial  plumage  will  be  made 
up  at  most  of  parts  of  two,  the  second  winter  and  the  second 
nuptial.  It  is  therefore  less  complex  than  the  first  nuptial  and 
may  or  may  not  differ  from  it  in  pattern  and  color.  It  has 
been  pretty  generally  taken  for  granted  that  brilliancy  of  plu- 
mage increases  with  age,  but  it  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  prove 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  115 

this.  It  seems  to  be  true  of  the  average  adult,  yet  many  young 
birds  either  at  the  postjuvenal,  the  first  prenuptial,  or  the  first 
postnuptial  moult  do  assume  colors  quite  as  bright  as  the  most 
highly  colored  adults. 

It  seems  probable  that  females  which  assume  male  plumage 
contrary  to  their  usual  habit  are  old  adults.  The  most  difficult 
problem  to  solve  in  connection  with  this  stage  is  whether  all  adults 
continue  to  have  a  prenuptial  moult  after  the  first  year.  There 
are  few  species  which  do  not  show  renewal  of  a  few  scattering 
feathers,  chiefly  noticeable  on  the  ramal  margins  of  the  chin,  at 
the  season  of  the  prenuptial  moult  and  perhaps  as  we  learn 
more  of  it  we  may  be  obliged  to  consider  this  moult  universal 
and  merely  suppressed  in  certain  species  just  as  it  is  in  the  fe- 
males of  certain  species.  We  can  easjly  tell  how  extensive  it  is 
in  young  birds  from  differences  of  plumage,  but  with  adults  it 
is  difficult,  for  many  of  them  assume  a  winter  plumage,  that 
wear  alone  might  easily  convert  into  the  nuptial  dress.  A  mere 
sprinkling  of  new  red  feathers  among  the  yellow  ones  of  the 
young  Summer  Tanager  (Piranga  rubrd)  for  instance,  is  con- 
spicuous, but  the  same  sprinkling  might  occur  a  second  season 
and  be  quite  overlooked  among  the  old  red  ones  especially 
when  wear  has  assailed  both  sorts.  When  the  prenuptial  moult 
is  fairly  extensive,  old  tell-tale  feathers  show  that  both  young 
and  old  undergo  a  moult,  but  when  it  is  limited  to  small  areas 
and  to  few  feathers  the  problem  is  anything  but  easy  even  with 
specimens  actually  in  process  of  moult.  With  specimens  taken 
long  after  the  prenuptial  moult  it  may  be  impossible  to  make  out 
from  the  amount  of  wear  whether  the  feathers  of  the  perhaps 
identical  winter  plumage  have  been  renewed  or  not.  If  all  the 
spring  specimens  of  a  species  show  evidences  of  moult,  it  is  fair 
to  assume  that  both  adults  and  young  have  been  affected.  In 
spite  of  the  evidence  pro  and  con  I  must  admit  the  question  of 
the  adult  prenuptial  moult  is  one  that  in  a  number  of  species 
has  not  been  settled  to  my  entire  satisfaction.  If  young  and  old 
could  be  told  apart  in  all  cases  at  this  season  the  matter  would 
be  much  simplified.  It  depends  now  chiefly  upon  knowledge 
of  winter  plumages  and  estimates  of  wear. 


116  DWIGHT 

The  part  that  age  plays  in  dichromatism,  albinism,  melanism, 
etc.,  is  one  as  yet  little  understood  and  also  offers  an  inviting 
field  for  investigation. 

Beyond  the  second  nuptial  plumage  it  is  not  possible  to 
trace  the  age  of  a  bird,  for  the  second  postnuptial  moult  removes 
the  last  tell-tale  feathers  that  in  a  few  individuals  of  a  few  highly 
colored  species  have  survived  earlier  moults.  Whether  more 
careful  study  of  a  greater  number  of  species  will  show  age 
characters  of  plumage  persistent  to  seventh  or  eighth  stages,  I 
cannot  say,  but  so  far  as  the  Passerine  species  of  eastern  North 
America  are  concerned  I  feel  confident  that  the  usual  time  as- 
signed for  the  acquisition  of  adult  plumage  has  been  greatly 
overestimated. 

V.    COLOR    FACTS   vs.    COLOR   THEORIES 

The  number  of  investigators  who  have  studied  feathers,  ever 
since  the  days  of  Aristotle,  is  almost  incredible.  All  general 
works  deal  with  plumages,  while  a  number  of  special  papers  on 
feather  development,  feather  structure,  moult  and  color  are 
worthy  of  particular  mention,  among  them  those  of  Meckel 
('15),  Dutrochet  ('19),  Cuvier  ('25),  Bachman  ('39),  Geoffroy 
Saint-Hilaire  ('41),  Schlegel  ('52),  Homeyer  ('53),  Gatke  ('54 
and  '91),  Meves  ('55),  Engel  ('56),  Holland  ('60  to  '64),  Fatio 
('66),  Stieda  ('69),  Samuel  ('70),  Pernitza  ('71),  Studer  ('73  and 
'78),  Palmen  ('80),  Klee  ('86),  Davies  ('88  and  '89),  Ficalbi 
('90),  Gadow  ('9i-'93),  Maurer  ('92  and  '95),  Meijere  ('95), 
Stone  ('96)  and  Keibel  ('96).  Besides  these  writers  there  are 
some  who  have  studied  color  and  pigment  especially,  and  among 
these  may  be  mentioned  Gloger  ('53),  Altum  ('54  and  '55), 
Weinland  ('56-' 59),  Bogdanow  ('58),  Severtzov  ('63),  Kruken- 
berg  ('8 1),  Jeffries  ('82),  Gadow  ('82)  and  Rabl  ('97).  Still 
others  (including  some  of  those  already  cited)  have  discussed 
the  theory  that  a  feather  once  grown  could  be  recolored  months 
afterward,  an  idea  that  seems  to  have  originated  with  Cartwright 
(1792);  to  have  been  advanced  by  Fleming  ('17  and  '20), 
Whitear  ('18),  Ord  ('30),  Yarrell  ('33  and  '35),  Schlegel  ('52) 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  117 

and  other  German  writers  of  his  period  ;  and  to  have  received 
recent  attention  at  the  hands  of  Allen  ('96),  Chadbourne  ('97) 
and  Chapman  ('96  an^  '97).  It  is  to  this  theory,  so  far  as  it 
concerns  Passerine  species,  that  I  now  invite  attention. 

In  view  of  the  endless  complexity  of  birds'  plumages  and  the 
wide  diversity  in  the  manner  of  their  acquisition  demonstrable 
even  among  a  few  Passerine  species,  it  is  not  surprising  that 
theoretical  explanations  should  flourish  as  long  as  the  facts  of 
moult  regarding  any  species  are  not  known.  To  catch  a  bird 
in  moult  is  no  easy  matter,  to  catch  him.  in  all  his  moults  is  a 
task  of  considerable  magnitude  and  yet  as  fast  as  this  has  been 
accomplished,  theory  has  become  superfluous. 

Theory  has  even  gone  so  far  as  to  assert  new  growth  of 
abraided  barbs  and  barbules  by  exudations  from  a  frayed 
weather-beaten  feather,  although  most  writers  have  contented 
themselves  with  alleging  a  fresh  influx  of  pigment  or  a  redistri- 
bution of  color  granules.  No  two  of  the  upholders  of  this 
theory  of  so-called  "  color  change  without  moult,"  or  "aptoso- 
chromatism,"  have  agreed  as  to  how  a  feather  that  to  all  appear- 
ances has  been  histologically  dead  for  many  months  may  sud- 
denly absorb,  create  or  redistribute  fresh  coloring  matter  and  the 
weakest  point  of  their  theory  is  the  necessity  for  a  new  law  of 
some  sort  to  explain  the  theory.  The  mental  attitude  of  those 
who  believe  in  these  changes  is  a  curious  one.  They  usually 
admit  that  moult  is  responsible  for  the  renewal  of  one  feather 
but  claim  a  color  change  they  cannot  exactly  explain  in  the 
feather  adjoining.  They  would  have  Nature  work  according  to 
well  established  laws  in  renewing  feathers  numbers  I,  2  and  3 
of  a  series  and  then  adopt  a  new  one  for  number  4  !  They 
would  have  us  believe  that  the  shaft  of  a  feather  is  a  sort  of  an 
avian  thermometer  tube  up  and  down  which  coloring  fluids  slip 
according  to  the  seasonal  systemic  warmth  of  the  bird  !  There 
is  an  element  of  the  absurd  about  the  position  taken  by  theorists, 
but  it  is  only  fair  to  them  to  sift  the  evidence  they  bring  forward 
in  support  of  their  theories.  This  is  the  evidence  of  live  birds 
and  the  evidence  of  dead  ones.  Live  birds  must  of  necessity 
be  caged  birds,  and  dead  ones  of  course  are  chiefly  museum 
or  cabinet  specimens. 


118  DWIGHT 

It  has  been  asserted  that  various  species  of  caged  birds  have 
been  seen  to  change  color  without  feather  loss.  Well,  it  is 
perfectly  true  that  some  do  change  color,  but  in  these  birds, 
as  can  be  proved,  no  actual  pigmentary  change  takes  place. 
Colors  concealed  by  feather  edgings  or  optical  effects  produced 
by  structure  may  be  intensified  by  gradual  loss  of  parts  of  the 
feathers  and  as  these  minute  parts  will  not  be  found  in  the  cage, 
those  who  are  ignorant  of  simple  principles  of  wear  will  see  a 
"  brightening  by  influx  of  pigment."  The  adult  Purple  Finch 
(Carpodacus  purpureus)  and  adult  Indigo  Bunting  (Passerina 
cyanea)  both  brighten  very  perceptibly  by  wear  alone  as  I  can 
testify.  The  former  has  no  prenuptial  moult,  the  latter  has  one 
confined  to  the  body  plumage.  Theorists  class  both  together 
and  lump  with  them  a  lot  of  other  species,  among  which 
similar  changes  are  observed  by  them  or  by  their  friends  and 
the  crudest  observations  and  baldest  statements  are  offered  as 
"proof"  of  new  color. 

From  the  extensive  literature  of  the  subject  we  learn  that  ob- 
servers of  caged  birds  have  failed  to  bar  out  the  possibility  of 
moult,  and  in  species  that  regularly  only  renew  a  small  portion 
of  their  plumage  at  the  prenuptial  moult  (particularly  the  small 
feathers  about  the  head)  I  have  no  doubt  that  moult  has  oc- 
curred, the  tiny  feathers  being  whirled  out  of  the  cage  by  a  puff 
of  air  or  rolled  up  to  almost  nothing  if  sprinkled  from  the  bath 
or  drinking  cup.  It  is  not  often  that  many  are  cast  off  at  one 
time  and  they  are  so  extremely  small  that  the  entire  plumage  of 
the  head  of  a  bird  the  size  of  a  Song  Sparrow  (Melospiza  fasciata) 
may  be  held  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger.  Did  any  of  the 
theorists  ever  try  blowing  away  such  a  pinch  of  feathers  even  in 
a  small  room  and  see  how  many  he  will  find  ?  Some  idea  of  the 
relative  size  of  feathers  may  be  gained  from  plate  I,  on  which 
those  of  a  Bobolink  (Dolichonyx  oryzivorus),  a  good  sized  Pas- 
serine bird  are  figured.  In  order  to  give  some  idea  of  their 
relative  number,  I  have  made  actual  count  of  all  the  contour 
feathers  on  a  spring  male.  The  enumeration  of  the  minute 
down-feathers,  semiplumes  and  filoplumes  I  leave  to  others. 
The  result  of  my  count  is  as  follows  : 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF  NEW    YORK  119 

Alar  Tracts 492  Ventral  Tract 465 

Humeral  Tracts 96  Caudal  Tract 55 

Capital  Tract 13&5  Lumbar  Tracts 70 

Dorsal  Tract 506  Crural  Tracts 166 

Total 3235 

The  actual  number  of  feathers,  however,  is  not  nearly  so  im- 
portant as  their  size,  and  I  will  venture  to  assert  that  over  50% 
of  the  total  number  are  no  larger  than  those  shown  on  plate  I, 
fig.  17,  while  hundreds  of  them  are  almost  microscopic.  The 
Bobolink  is  one  of  the  species  cited  by  several  observers  as 
changing  from  buff  to  black  without  feather  loss  because  no 
feathers  are  found  in  cages.  The  most  plausible  evidence  yet 
advanced  is  Dr.  A.  P.  CHADBOURNE'S  ('97)  but  even  this  ob- 
server admits  that  his  cage  was  not  protected  by  any  netting. 
Furthermore  he  leads  us  to  expect  tremendous  feather-loss  and 
estimates  the  number  of  feathers,  kind  not  specified,  at  2634. 
As  most  of  the  feathers  of  a  Bobolink  are  extremely  small,  a 
wing  beat  would  readily  drive  them  out  of  the  cage.  Suppose 
now  a  caged  bird  possessed  the  dark  wings  and  tail  often  found 
in  autumn.  Without  moult  the  loss  of  their  buff  edgings  com- 
bined with  the  ragged  state  in  which  we  find  them  later  might 
easily  produce  a  color  that  would  pass  for  black  and  if  numer- 
ous body  feathers  had  been  knocked  out,  as  is  often  the  case, 
before  observations  upon  a  specimen  began,  it  would  be  easy 
to  overlook  a  partial  moult.  I  know  from  personal  experience 
how  easy  it  is  to  fail  to  find  by  examination  the  tiny  feather 
sheaths  which  are  quickly  lost  even  before  the  black  portion  of 
the  yellow  tipped  feathers  pushes  out  into  view  among  the  con- 
cealing buff  feathers.  Having  pointed  out  some  of  the  possibili- 
ties of  error  in  observations,  I  may  add  that  Dr.  CHADBOURNE'S 
Bobolink  and  one  or  two  others  that  have  not  been  preserved  by 
their  owners  are  certainly  unique.  TJiere  is  no  lack  of  evidence 
that  other  caged  Bobolinks  undergo  a  fairly  complete  moult  in 
the  spring  and  I  have  personally  watched  several  birds  and  seen 
others  that  had  completed  the  process.  Even  admitting  that 
some  birds  can  and  do  turn  black  as  asserted,  it  is  no  proof 


120  DWIGHT 

whatever  that  such  change  ever  can  or  does  occur  in  the  wild 
state.  If  caged  birds  prove  anything  they  prove  that  under 
peculiar  and  abnormal  environment  the  process  of  moult  is 
curiously  suspended  or  modified  by  such  factors  as  food, 
warmth,  fright,  etc.,  but  if  color  changes  in  wild  birds  are  to  be 
explained  by  what  a  few  captive  birds  are  alleged  to  have  done, 
there  are  likely  to  be  sceptics  who  question  the  accuracy  of 
such  observations. 

The  dulness  of  the  plumage  of  sick  birds  and  subsequent 
brightening  has  been  noticed,  but  it  is  simpler  to  attribute  the 
improvement  rather  to  the  renewal  of  the  neglected  oiling  and 
preening  than  to  colors  within  the  feathers  themselves. 

Theorists  support  their  arguments  by  telling  us  that  the  color 
of  Canary  Birds  may  be  changed  by  food,  but  they  fail  to  tell 
us  that  the  administration  of  Cayenne  pepper  must  be  begun 
weeks  before  a  moult,  the  new  feathers  coming  in  of  a  different 
color  from  the  old.  Therefore  any  bald  statement  that  diet  will 
effect  color  change  in  feathers  needs  to  taken  with  a  grain  of 
salt.  Sauermann  ('89)  has  made  some  interesting  experiments 
that  any  bird-fancier  will  confirm  if  questioned. 

Another  assertion  of  theorists  is  that  a  feather  is  not  a  dead 
structure,  but  possessed  of  some  sort  of  vital  connection  with 
the  body  or  capable  at  least  of  internal  cell  activity.  Experi- 
ments with  feathers,  even  while  attached  to  the  skin  of  a  living 
bird,  show  that  mechanical  recoloration  is  possible,  but  this  is 
no  proof-  that  such  a  thing  can  occur  except  by  artificial  means. 
The  penetrative  power  of  oils  and  staining  reagents,  be  the  ab- 
sorbing substance  organic  or  inorganic,  is  well  known  and  every 
biologist  is  aware  that  dead  tissues  stain  more  readily  in  most 
cases  than  living  ones.  In  the  case  of  feathers  we  are  dealing 
with  structures  that  are  (except  in  the  minds  of  theorists)  when 
mature,  cut  off  from  further  vital  connection  with  the  body,  and 
to  assume  a  re-opening  of  this  connection,  or  stranger  still,  a 
revival  of  cell  activity  in  dead  tissue  is  simply  a  tacit  confession 
that  the  first  principles  of  moult  have  not  been  apprehended. 
Microscopic  investigations  are  always  impressive,  but  they  lose 
force  when  employed  in  support  of  a  theory  which  is  not  only 
quite  superfluous,  but  does  not  even  accord  with  known  facts. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  121 

Turning  now  from  the  evidence  of  caged  birds  to  that  derived 
from  museum  skins  what  do  we  find  ?  Again  superfluous 
theory,  and  a  perversion  of  facts  to  fit,  based  on  the  most  super- 
ficial observations.  Without  taking  pains  to  learn  even  the 
simplest  facts,  our  foreign  brethren  and  some  too  on  this  side  of 
the  ocean  have  offered  triumphantly  mixed  plumages  as  proof  of 
color  change  without  moult,  and  extremists  believe  in  a  rebuild- 
ing of  the  worn  margins  of  feathers,  or  at  least  in  their  vitality, 
because  they  see  with  a  microscope  pores  which  exude  some- 
thing. Some  writers  wax  eloquent  upon  the  subject. 

"Foci"  and  "spreading  areas  of  color"  are  observed  and  a 
series  of  feathers  showing  the  changing  pattern  are  plucked  out 
and  figured  in  blissful  ignorance  that  all  the  various  patterns 
were  present  in  the  feathers  when  they  developed  at  the  last 
period  of  moult.  Just  such  feathers  (as,  for  instance,  some 
from  the  breast  of  a  Bobolink  plate  I,  figs.  1-6)  may  be  found 
fresh  and  new  after  a  moult  or  worn  and  frayed  and  perhaps 
in  juxtaposition  with  newly  grown  ones  at  a  later  season  of 
moult,  as  proved  by  scores  of  species  treated  in  the  present 
paper.  There  is  not  the  slightest  evidence  of  recoloration,  the 
alleged  changes  being  easily  and  naturally  explicable,  as  due  to 
the  normal  sequence  of  normal  moult  modified  by  normal  wear. 
The  true  explanation  of  the  plumages  of  such  species  as  the 
Rose-breasted  Grosbeak  (Habia  ludoviciana),  Baltimore  Oriole 
{Icterus  galbuld),  Orchard  Oriole  {Icterus  spurius),  Indigo  Bunt- 
ing (Passerina  cyanea),  Bobolink  {Doliclwnyx  oryzivorus)  and 
other  alleged  examples  of  color  change  without  moult  will  be 
found  under  these  species,  and  all  mixed  plumages  are  readily 
explained  without  resort  to  theory,  if  the  fundamental  principles 
of  moult  are  once  firmly  fixed  in  mind.  I  have  examined 
something  like  15,000  birds  during  the  last  few  years  and  I 
find  none  which  do  not  conform  to  the  definite  laws  of  moult 
and  wear  which  I  have  laid  down.  I  often  wonder  at  the 
temerity  of  theorists  who,  with  a  mere  handful  of  specimens 
taken,  perhaps,  all  at  one  season,  do  not  hesitate  to  betray  their 
ignorance  of  the  foundation  facts  of  plumage.  As  long  as  they 
do  not  apprehend  them,  their  conclusions  are  not  to  be  taken 


122  DWIGHT 

seriously  and  as  long  as  they  are  unaware  that  the  plumage  of 
a  specimen  may  be  the  resultant  of  no'  less  than  three  moults, 
that  old  and  young  may  moult  quite  differently  and  that  males 
and  females  may  not  moult  alike,  of  what  value  are  their 
theories  ? 

DH  CHADBOURNE  in  his  paper  previously  cited  asserts  that 
the  skin  of  a  Bobolink  taken  March  I,  in  Brazil,  proves  color 
change  and  moult  going  on  simultaneously.  An  understanding 
of  the  A  B  C  of  moult  shows  that  the  first  assumption  is  without 
support  and  that  the  bird  is  a  typical  adult  male  undergoing 
a  perfectly  normal  and  complete  prenuptial  moult  as  already 
explained  by  Mr.  CHAPMAN  ('97).  The  feathers  of  the  worn 
adult  winter  dress  are  found  at  exactly  the  points  where  they 
are  regularly  found  in  all  Passerine  species  before  a  moult  is 
completed  and  the  whiteness  of  the  abdomen  is  not  due  to 
albinism  as  the  writer  suggests,  but  to  the  normal  fading  of 
feathers  that  were  almost  white  when  assumed  in  the  autumn. 
I  have  examined  the  bird  and  agree  with  Mr.  CHAPMAN  that 
no  new  white  feathers  are  discoverable  (the  one  figured  by 
(CHADBOURNE,  Auk,  '97,  plate  la,  fig.  2)  certainly  does  not  look 
like  a  new  one),  all  of  them  being  much  worn.  Therefore  the 
"proof"  that  they  will  turn  black  rests  on  a  single  feather 
by  what  means  determined  as  of  new  growth  we  are  not  in- 
formed. In  like  manner  his  statement  that  the  black  feathers 
regularly  sprinkled  on  the  throats  of  adults  in  autumn  will 
shortly  turn  buff  is  not  in  accordance  with  facts  for  these  feath- 
ers become  the  old  worn  ones  found  on  the  March  bird,  (i.e., 
feather,  plate  la,  fig.  4  would  wear  to  fig.  3).  In  fig.  5  is  shown 
an  autumn  feather  that  would  be  found  in  spring  with  the  foci 
unchanged.  In  fig.  I  we  see  another  old  black  feather  that  was 
just  the  same  color  when  it  grew  at  the  postnuptial  moult.  Not 
one  of  these  feathers  therefore  has  been  correctly  interpreted  and 
what  is  true  of  this  plate  is  true  of  others  that  are  considered 
convincing  proofs  of  alleged  color  changes  in  other  species. 

Now,  to  maintain  in  the  face  of  these  facts  about  which  there 
can  be  no  question,  that  moult  and  a  color  change  may  coexist 
in  such  a  warping  of  facts  to  fit  a  theory,  that  even  the  em- 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF    NEW   YORK  123 

phasis  of  italics  and  small  capitals  is  not  convincing.  While 
Dr.  CHADBOURNE'S  paper  is  a  model  of  exactness  in  details,  the 
real  facts  do  not  bear  out  his  conclusions,  nor  are  his  explana- 
tions the  simplest  possible.  As  his  evident  skill  in  micro- 
scopic tecnique  will  be  apt  to  carry  much  weight,  I  have  criti- 
cized his  paper  at  some  length  because  it  embodies  most  of  the 
unsubstantial  foundations  on  which  modern  theory  rests.  The 
views  of  many  of  the  earlier  writers  have  already  been  analyzed 
by  Dr.  ALLEN  ('96)  and  need  not  be  specified  here.  Suffice  it 
to  say,  therefore,  that  however  pleasing  all  the  various  theories 
may  have  been  they  have  set  aside  the  following  facts  :  First 
the  normal  histology  of  the  feather;  Second,  the  normal  moult ; 
Third,  the  normal  sequence  of  plumages ;  and  Fourth,  the 
normal  effects  of  wear.  A  proper  comprehension  of  these  four 
basal  facts  will  entirely  eliminate  the  necessity  of  abnormal 
color  change  while  at  the  same  time  explaining  every  plumage 
easily  and  naturally.  If  Nature  must  be  assisted  in  a  perfectly 
well  understood  moult  by  a  process  of  color  change  about 
which  no  two  of  its  champions  offer  the  same  explanation,  it 
seems  to  me  that  Nature's  ability  to  follow  the  same  laws  in  all 
cases  is  discredited  because  these  champions  of  supposed  new 
ones  have  failed  to  recognize  the  old.  I  am  not  the  first  to 
reach  these  conclusions,  but  many  of  my  predecessors  in  the 
field  were  much  hampered  by  lack  of  material  to  confirm  their 
opinions.  BACHMAN  ('39)  had  a  good  idea  of  moult  among 
North  American  species  in  spite  of  some  errors.  Since  his 
day  no  comprehensive  article  touching  upon  our  birds  has  been 
written  until  Mr.  WITMER  STONE  ('96)  made  clear  the  different 
plumages  of  certain  species.  I  might  cite  other  reliable  writers 
besides  these  two  so  far  apart  in  point  of  time  so  near  together 
in  point  of  view,  but  it  would  serve  here  no  good  purpose. 

Years  ago  a  theory  was  current  that  Swallows  hibernated 
beneath  the  mud  of  ponds.  The  fact  that  they  could  not  do  it 
and  did  not  do  it  is  a  lesson  that  our  modern  color-change  the- 
orists would  do  well  to  take  to  heart.  Nowhere  among  living 
organisms  do  restorative  changes  in  tissue  take  place  without 
destruction  or  casting  off  of  the  old.  Consequently  belief  that 


124  D  WIGHT 

a  feather  which  regularly  develops,  dies  and  is  cast  off,  can  pos- 
sibly violate  such  a  universal  law  is  not  only  contrary  to  com- 
mon sense  but  contrary  as  well  to  every  established  fact  regard- 
ing the  moulting  of  birds. 


VI.  OUTDOOR  STUDY  OF  MOULT 
Seasons  of  Moult 

This  is  a  pleasant  and  fascinating  side  of  the  subject  of  moult 
for  it  takes  us  out  into  the  open  air  of  woods  and  fields. 
Hot,  muggy  August  has  been  considered,  the  month  of  moult 
in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  city,  and  it  will  surprise  some  of  us 
to  learn  that  many  of  our  local  species  quite  complete  their  winter 
plumage  before  August  arrives,  while  others  do  not  begin  to 
assume  it  until  the  month  has  long  passed.  Although  this 
month  does  mark  the  high  tide  of  moult,  especially  among 
the  adults  of  a  great  many  species,  there  are  few  months  in  the 
year  when  one  species  or  another  does  not  show  evidences  of 
feather  loss  just  past  or  just  beginning.  A  complete  moult  is 
accomplished  in  from  four  to  six  weeks,  stray  feathers  continu- 
ing to  appear  for  a  much  longer  period,  but  partial  moults  re- 
quire much  less  time.  The  young  of  most  of  our  Passerine 
species  remain  in  the  nest  about  two  weeks,  a  little  more  or 
less  according  to  size,  this  period  corresponding  very  nearly  to 
the  duration  of  the  natal  down. 

The  growth  of  the  juvenal  plumage  begins  while  the  young 
bird  is  still  in  the  nest,  the  wings  and  tail  requiring  several 
weeks  to  reach  maturity.  Birds  hardly  able  to  fly  will  be  found 
which  already  show  signs  on  the  breast  of  the  first  winter 
plumage  ;  these  species  as  a  rule  do  not  lose  the  wings  and 
tail  at  the  postjuvenal  moult  ;  others  however  do,  and  usually 
such  birds  will  have  worn  the  juvenal  plumage  for  many  weeks 
before  the  postjuvenal  moult  begins. 

The  blending  together  of  the  moults  of  the  young  bird  makes 
it  difficult  to  assign  the  time  required  for  any  one  of  them  and 
the  time  varies  with  each  species.  It  can  be  said,  however,  that 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  125 

the  first  winter  plumage  may  be  practically  complete  within  a 
month  after  the  nest  is  abandoned,  the  Juvenal  having  been  com- 
pleted in  less  than  half  that  period. 

The  adults  of  early  nesting  species,  for  example,  the  Crow 
(Conws  americanus)  or  Worm-eating  Warbler  (Helmithtrus 
vcrmivoms),  begin  to  moult  by  the  end  of  June  when  the  post- 
nuptial moult  may  be  said  to  begin.  These  represent  an  ill- 
defined  class  of  early  breeding  birds  whose  young  appear  to- 
wards the  end  of  May  or  earlier  and  who  raise  but  one  brood 
in  the  season.  Another  class  comprises  the  later  breeding 
species  raising  but  one  brood  hatched  towards  the  end  of  June 
like  the  Bobolink  (Dolichonyx  oryzivorus]  or  Wood  Thursh  (Tur- 
dns  unistelimis},  which  moult  late  in  July.  A  third  class  com- 
prises birds  that  regularly  raise  two  broods  like  the  Song  Spar- 
row ( Melospiza  fasciata)  or  Field  Sparrow  (Spizella  pitsilla),  the 
first  appearing  towards  the  end  of  May,  the  second  in  July. 
The  first  brood  begins  the  postju venal  moult  late  in  August, 
the  second  moults  in  September  and  October.  Belated  broods 
are  puzzling  and  are  probably  mistaken  for  third  broods  by  the 
average  observer.  It  is  my  opinion  that  none  of  our  local 
species  regularly  raises  more  than  two  broods  (and  few  of  them 
more  than  one)  in  one  season,  for  a  bird  taken  in  nuptial  dress, 
whether  accompanied  by  young  or  not,  when  many  other  birds 
of  the  same  species  show  a  symmetrical  and  extensive  develop- 
ment of  the  moult  is  suggestive  evidence,  not  of  a  third,  but  of 
a  belated  brood.  My  grouping  into  three  classes  is  purely  arti- 
ficial, however,  and  only  done  because  it  is  convenient  to  think 
of  species  thus  grouped. 

From  what  I  have  already  said  it  is  easy  to  understand  what 
a  confusion  of  moulting  birds  may  be  found  during  July,  August 
and  September.  The  postnuptial  moult  of  adults  regularly 
precedes  the  postju  venal  in  the  same  species  although  young 
birds  may  overtake  adults  in  assuming  fall  plumage  if  they  do  not 
renew  the  flight  feathers.  If  adults,  then,  begin  a  moult  in 
June  they  complete  it  in  July,  if  they  begin  in  August  they  end 
in  September  and  late-nesting  species  like  the  Goldfinch  (Spinus 
tristis]  begin  in  September  to  finish  in  October  and  even  No- 


126  DWIGHT 

vember.  Belated  broods  of  young  birds  may  delay  the  moult 
of  their  parents  far  beyond  the  usual  limits.  As  for  the  mi- 
grants which  reach  us  from  the  north  their  moult  is  usually 
completed  almost  entirely  before  they  reach  us. 

December  and  January  are  generally  the  only  months  in  the 
whole  year  when  most  evidences  of  moult  are  lacking  in  the 
specimens  obtained  here.  In  February  some  of  the  birds  that 
have  wintered  with  us  begin  to  shows  signs  of  the  prenuptial 
moult.  The  Ipswich  Sparrow  (Ammodromus  princeps)  from  the 
end  of  this  month  to  the  end  of  March  acquires  new  feathers 
about  the  head  and  throat  and  the  last  of  March  marks  the 
beginning  of  a  nearly  or  quite  complete  renewal  of  body  feathers 
in  the  Myrtle  Warbler  (Dendroica  coronatd).  April  marks  a 
partial  prenuptial  moult  in  several  local  species,  among  them 
the  Goldfinch  (Spinus  tristis)  and  the  White-throated  Sparrow 
(Zonotrichia  albicollis).  During  April  and  May  the  young  of 
early  hatched  species  begin  to  appear  and  among  a  host  of 
migrants  on  their  way  north  a  few  birds  are  found  showing  stray 
"pin  feathers"  which  tell  of  a  moult  accomplished  perhaps  far 
away  in  the  south.  I  have  roughly  indicated  what  each  month 
in  the  year  may  teach  us  regarding  the  moult  and  I  turn  now  to 
another  subject  which  has  been  a  matter  of  some  controversy. 

Migration  After  Moult 

It  is,  perhaps,  not  generally  believed  that  birds  depart  from 
their  breeding  grounds  immediately  after  the  moult,  but  there 
are  two  cogent  reasons  in  favor  of  this  view.  One  is  the  fact 
that  many  species  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  city  do  disap- 
pear directly  after  and  sometimes  before  assuming  winter  plum- 
age, and  the  other  is  the  fact  that  none  of  the  species  which 
breed  farther  north  arrive  here  before  the  last  traces  of  the 
moult  are  nearly  if  not  quite  obliterated.  I  have  never  seen  a 
passing  migrant,  except  possibly  the  White -bellied  Swallow 
(Tachycineta  bicolor)y  showing  signs  of  immaturity  in  the  flight- 
feathers.  In  the  spiing  too  for  that  matter  very  few  of  the  ar- 
rivals from  the  south  show  any  signs  of  the  moult,  through 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  127 

which,  from  the  freshness  of  their  feathers  we  know  they  must 
have  passed.  The  postjuvenal  and  the  postnuptial  moults  are 
virtually  completed  so  far  as  the  flight-feathers  are  concerned 
before  the  species  moves  south.  Most  of  the  Flycatchers  and 
Swallows,  however,  disappear  before  these  moults  begin,  but 
they  and  a  few  others  are  exceptions.  The  progressive  shrink- 
age or  involution  of  the  sexual  organs  of  adults  is,  as  a  rule, 
quite  marked  before  the  postnuptial  moult  sets  in,  and  it  is 
highly  improbable  any  further  attempt  to  rear  young  is  ever 
made  once  this  retrograde  process  has  begun.  When  the  last 
brood  is  on  the  wing  and  well  able  to  care  for  themselves,  the 
moult  of  the  parents  begins,  that  of  the  male  starting  a  little 
before  that  of  the  female  as  becomes  evident  when  a  pair  can  be 
secured.  As  the  female  attends  to  the  wants  of  her  family 
longer  than  does  the  male,  it  is  not  surprising  that  her  moult 
should  be  the  later.  We  can  readily  believe  that  when  a 
brood  is  raised  to  take  the  place  of  accidentally  destroyed  eggs 
or  young,  the  involution  and  the  moult  are  both  delayed.  As 
almost  all  of  our  migratory  species  move  south  on  the  comple- 
tion of  a  moult  which  is  accomplished  somewhat  earlier  in 
adults  than  in  their  progeny,  it  is  natural  to  expect  the  former 
to  go  first.  My  actual  experience  is  that  the  last  loiterers  of 
many  of  our  summer  breeding  species  are  young  birds.  Some 
species  disappear  almost  entirely,  as  for  instance  the  Golden - 
crowned  Thrush  (Seiurus  aurocapillus)  and  later  reappear  when 
migrants  from  the  north  arrive  to  replace  them.  The  first 
comers  are  not  always  adults  but  they  are  very  apt  to  be. 

Species  near  the  northern  limit  of  their  breeding  range,  such 
for  instance  as  the  Hooded  Warbler  (Syhania  mitratd)  or  Blue- 
winged  Yellow  Warbler  (Hehninthophila  pimis),  rapidly  disap- 
pear on  completing  their  moult.  The  specimens  obtained  late 
in  the  season  all  prove  to  be  young  birds,  and  this  is  the  case 
with  many  species  that  I  have  pursued  with  the  object  of  secur- 
ing adults-  The  evidence  of  moult  is  that  old  birds  migrate 
south  first  because  they  are  ready  first. 

It  is  an  undoubted  fact  that  when  a  species  has  an  extensive 
breeding  range,  the  birds  towards  its  southern  limits  begin  to 


128  DWIGHT 

moult  earlier  than  those  at  its  northern.  I  fancy  that  this  has 
something  to  do  with  the  great  individual  variation  we  see  in 
immature  birds  the  following  summer.  A  species  that  might 
raise  two  broods  at  the  south  would  perhaps  raise  but  one  at 
the  north  and  we  might  suppose  the  older  birds  to  be  more 
vigorous.  It  is  apparently  the  case  with  species  raising  two 
broods  everywhere.  Young  birds  show  variable  vigor  and  pre- 
sumably the  highest  plumaged  are  the  oldest  and  the  ones  most 
likely  to  assume  at  the  postjuvenal  moult  feathers  that  in  the 
younger  would  not  be  donned  until  the  prenuptial  period. 

Preponderance  of  Young  in  Autumn 

There  is  another  matter  which  comes  in  naturally  at  this 
point.  The  vexed  question  why  young  birds  are  obtained  in 
the  autumn  in  such  overwhelming  abundance  as  compared  with 
adults  has  never  been  solved.  Various  explanations  have  been 
offered  but  none  of  them  seems  adequate.  Several  causes 
probably  contribute  to  make  adults  in  fall  plumage  so  rare  in 
collections  and  I  have  a  new  one  to  add  which  I  believe  is  an 
important  factor  in  the  case.  It  is  simply  that  the  old  birds 
take  better  care  of  themselves  and  the  young  most  frequently 
fall  victims  to  our  powder  and  shot.  Anyone  who  has  chased 
a  family  of  Towhees  (Pipilo  erytliroplitlialinus)  along  a  hedge  row 
will  be  prepared  to  admit  that  it  is  the  parents  who  skip  along 
at  the  head  of  the  procession  with  surprising  alacrity.  In  the 
autumn  do  we  not  find  adult  Wood  Pewees  (Contopus  vircns) 
and  Scarlet  Tanagers  (Piranga  crytliromelas)  almost  inaccessible 
at  the  very  tops  of  the  tallest  trees  ?  If  anyone  doubts  whether 
old  birds  take  good  care  of  themselves  let  him  use  his  gun  with 
this  idea  in  view  before  the  woods  and  fields  are  invaded  by  a 
host  of  passing  migrants  from  the  north.  Just  as  soon  as  the 
young  of  our  summer  species  reach  a  stage  when  they  no  longer 
need  to  be  fed  by  their  parents,  the  latter  cannot  be  lured  by 
the  most  seductive  squeakings  one  can  muster  which  earlier 
would  have  thrown  them  into  a  high  state  of  excitement  and 
remonstrance.  It  is  the  young  that  are  attracted  by  the  sounds 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  129 

and  the  adults  may  sometimes  be  observed  slipping  away  at  the 
first  alarm.  Their  timidity  is  probably  increased  by  the  somewhat 
disabled  state  in  which  they  find  themselves  owing  to  the  moult. 
While  the  feather  loss  at  this  time  is  so  carefully  compensated 
for  by  feather  gain  that  birds  as  a  rule  are  very  little  crippled  in 
their  locomotive  powers,  still  we  may  well  suppose  they  feel 
some  anxiety  as  to  their  ability  to  escape  when  their  feathers  are 
only  partly  developed  or  new  and  untried.  We  must  also  take 
into  consideration  the  endeavor  manifested  by  birds  to  lead  their 
young  out  of  danger,  a  trait  which  may  influence  them  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent  after  the  young  are  quite  able  to  shift  for 
themselves.  In  flocks  of  migrants,  too,  it  seems  to  be  the  old 
birds  that  first  take  alarm  and  the  loiterers  almost  invariably 
prove  to  be  the  young  birds  that  have  not  learned  the  dangers 
of  delay.  The  early  banding  together  and  departure  south  of 
the  adults  of  a  particular  species  that  has  reared  young  in  a 
locality  near  the  northern  limit  of  that  species  may  account  in 
great  measure  for  the  apparent  rarity  of  local  adults  because 
few  of  us  care  to  brave  the  midsummer  sun,  in  pursuit  of  them, 
but  it  does  not  explain  «/hy  among  the  hords  of  migrants  from 
more  northern  breeding  regions  so  few  adults  are  secured.  The 
theory  of  a  migration  of  adults  by  a  different  route  from  that 
taken  by  the  young  birds  may  explain  some  cases  and  the  rela- 
tively greater  number  of  young  due  to  the  natural  increase  of 
species  will  account  for  a  part  of  the  existing  disproportion  but 
none  of  these  explanations  is  adequate.  It  is  a  subject  where 
field  work  and  closet  study  go  hand  in  hand  and  it  remains  to 
be  proved  whether  my  theory  of  personal  safety,  the  only  one 
I  advance  in  these  pages,  will  be  displaced  by  a  better. 

In  collections  the  proportion  of  young  birds  taken  in  the 
spring  when  it  is  possible  to  determine  their  age  is  far  smaller 
than  in  the  fall.  In  fact  adults  and  young  seem  to  be  about 
evenly  divided  in  numbers,  except  in  the  case  of  bright  colored 
species  where  the  brilliant  adults  have  evidently  attracted  the 
collector's  attention  more  than  the  duller  young  birds, 
ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Aug.  4,  1900 — 9. 


130 


DWIGHT 


VII.    PLUMAGES    AND     MOULTS     OF    NEW    YORK 

SPECIES 

Classification  of  Moult 

No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  group  North  American 
birds  according  to  the  manner  of  their  moulting  and  it  is  cer- 
tainly desirable  that  an  outline  of  some  system  of  classification 
should  be  traced,  imperfect  as  is  our  present  knowledge  of  the 
subject.  Among  the  Passerine  species  of  New  York,  which 
include  nearly  all  of  those  of  eastern  North  America,  will  be 
found  the  greatest  diversity  of  moult  not  only  in  the  different 
species,  but  in  individuals  of  the  same  species,  not  to  mention 
the  peculiarities  due  to  the  age  and  sex  of  these  individuals. 
Large  series  of  birds  taken  at  the  proper  season  are  necessary 
to  determine  which  are  the  exceptions  and  which  the  rule,  and 
until  more  positive  light  of  this  nature  is  thrown  upon  the 
species  that  moult  when  south  of  the  United  States,  the  status 
of  some  of  them  must  remain  a  matter  of  doubt. 

Aside  from  ascertaining  the  facts  of  moult  in  each  species,  the 
greatest  difficulty  lies  in  the  impossibility  of  drawing  any  hard 
and  fast  line  between  groups  or  classes  that  may  be  proposed. 
The  only  invariable  moult  is  the  postnuptial  which,  except  in  a 
very  few  rare  cases,  is  absolutely  complete  and  takes  place  in  all 
species  at  the  close  of  or  soon  after  the  breeding  season  peculiar 
to  each.  The  dividing  line,  however,  between  species  with  a 
postnuptial  moult  only  and  those  that  undergo  a  prenuptial  as 
well,  is  not  a  definite  one.  Some  appear  to  undergo  only  one 
prenuptial  moult,  that  of  the  first  year  of  their  life,  and  form  a 
connecting  link  between  groups  of  birds  that  moult  annually 
and  those  that  moult  twice  a  year,  but  as  the  females  of  such 
species  usually  omit  the  prenuptial  changes  of  the  male,  it 
seems  advisable  to  consider  them  all  as  a  special  class  of  birds 
moulting  annually. 

As  in  plumage  so  in  moult,  classification  must  depend  pri- 
marily upon  the  males  and  the  extent  of  their  prenuptial  changes 
seems  to  afford  a  good  basis  for  classifying  birds  with  semi- 


PASSERINE  BIRDS    OF   NEW   YORK  131 

annual  renewal  of  plumage.  With  those  of  annual  renewal, 
however,  we  must  go  back  to  the  postjuvenal  moult  which  im- 
poses upon  species  characters  that  they  retain  for  a  twelve- 
month. But  here  again  there  is  no  sharp  dividing  line,  and 
without  large  series  of  specimens  to  eliminate  individual  varia- 
tions, it  is  extremely  easy  to  classify  wrongly.  For  instance 
the  Horned  Lark  (Otocoris  alpestris)  would  seem  to  belong  to 
Group  A,  and  yet  many  late  winter  specimens  show  new  growth 
of  a  few  feathers  about  the  chin  and  the  eyes,  suggesting  the 
transference  of  this  species  to  Group  J.  In  another  species,  the 
Snowflake  (Plectrophenax  nivalis),  the  regular  and  more  exten- 
sive growth  of  feathers  in  the  same  regions  has  led  me  to  place 
it,  with  some  hesitation,  in  Group  J,  because  a  like  extent  of 
renewal  in  the  Lapland  Longspur  {Calcarius  lapponicus)  pro- 
duces visible  changes  that  in  the  Snowflake  are  not  apparent. 

It  is  possible  that  when  we  know  more  of  the  birds  classed 
under  E  and  F,  both  these  groups  may  prove  superfluous  and 
the  species  turn  out  to  moult  to  an  extremely  limited  extent 
every  year,  but  I  hardly  think  so.  They  now  contain  birds  that 
in  some  individuals  at  least  accomplish  by  moult  at  the  post- 
juvenal period  what  is  delayed  in  others  until  the  prenuptial. 

The  groups  I  propose  are  fairly  distinct  for  the  majority  of 
the  species  included  in  them  although  there  are  some  birds  that 
vary  so  in  the  extent  of  their  moult  as  to  properly  belong  to 
several  For  example,  there  may  be  enough  difference  in  two 
male  White-throated  Sparrows  (Zonotrichia  albicollis)  to  warrant 
placing  one  in  Group  I  and  the  other  in  J,  while  of  two  females 
one  might  be  placed  in  J  and  the  other  in  C. 

In  species  that  undergo  a  prenuptial  moult  there  may  be 
found  every  gradation  from  birds  that  renew  the  whole  of  their 
plumage  to  those  that  merely  gain  a  few  feathers  about  the  an- 
terior parts  of  the  head.  It  is  even  probable  that  some  of  the 
species  I  have  included  under  J  belong  more  properly  under  F 
and  possibly  even  to  the  groups  of  birds  with  annual  moult. 
With  much  material  for  study,  it  has  been  impossible  for  me  to 
be  positive  about  some  species  but  their  status  will  be  discussed 
later  on  under  the  species  themselves. 


132  DWIGHT 

I.  ANNUAL  OR  SINGLE  MOULT  (Postnuptial). 

1 .  Postjuvenal  Moult  complete. 

a.  Young  and  adults  nearly  alike  in  Winter  and  Nup- 

tial Plumages.  A 

b.  Young  and  adults  unlike  in  Winter  and  Nuptial 

Plumages.  B 

2.  Postjuvenal  Moult  incomplete,  not  involving  remiges  nor 

rectrices. 

a.  Young  and  adults  nearly  alike  in  Winter  and  Nup- 

tial Plumages.  C 

b.  Young  and  adults  unlike  in  Winter  and  Nuptial 

Plumages.  D 

3.  Young  with  a  First  Prenuptial  Moult,  following  incom- 

plete Postjuvenal  Moult. 

a.  Extensive,  including  often  rectrices  and  even  a  few 

remiges.  E 

b.  Limited  chiefly  to  the  head.  F 

II.  SEMIANNUAL  OR  DOUBLE  MOULT  (Postnuptial  and  Prenup- 

tial). 

1 .  Prenuptial  Moult  complete.  G 

2.  Prenuptial  Moult  of  body  complete  (in   young  including 

often  the  rectrices  and  sometimes  a  few  remiges).     H 

3.  Prenuptial  Moult  of  body  incomplete,  never  involving  rec- 

trices nor  remiges.  I 

4.  Prenuptial  Moult  of  body  very  incomplete  and   limited 

chiefly  to  the  head.  J 

CLASS  A 

Otocoris  alpestris  Ammodramus  maritimus 

"  "          praticola  Melospiza  fasciata 

leucolaema  Cardinalis  cardinalis 

Sturnus  vulgaris  Petrochelidon  lunifrons 

Molothrus  ater  Chelidon  erythrogastra 

Sturnella  magna  Tachycincta  bicolor 

Scolecophagus  carolinus  Clivicola  riparia 

Quisculus  quiscula  Stelgidopteryx  serripennis 

aeneus  Vireo  noveboracensis  (C  ?) 

Passer  domesticus  Icteria  virens  (C  ?) 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK 


133 


Agelaius  phceniceus 
Passerina  ciris 


Alauda  arvensis  (?) 
Myiarchus  crinitus 
Sayornis  phcebe 
Contopus  borealis 

"          virens 
Empidonax  flaviventris 
"  virescens 

"  traillii  alnorum 

"  minimus 

Pica  pica  hudsonica 
Cyanocitta  cristata 
Perisoreus  canadensis 
Corvus  corax  principalis 
"       americanus 
"       ossifragus 
Coccothraustes  vespertinus 
Acanthis  linaria 

rostrata 

Carduelis  carduelis 
Spinus  pinus 
Poocsetes  gramineus 
Spizella  monticola 

pusilla 

Junco  hyemalis 
Melospiza  lincolnii 
Passerella  iliaca 
Pipilo  erythrophthalmus 
Ampelis  garrulus 

"        cedrorum 
Vireo  olivaceus 
"     philadelphicus 
"     gilvus 


CLASS  B 

Progne  subis 

CLASS   C 

Vireo  flavifrons 
"  solitarius 
"  "  plumbeus 

Protonotaria  citrea 
Helinaia  swainsonii 
Helmitherus  vermivorus 
Helminthophila  pinus 

"  chysoptera 

Dendroica  dominica 

vigorsii 

Seiurus  aurocapillus 
"       noveboracensis 
"  "  notabilis 

"       motacilla 
Sylvania  mitrata 
Mimus  polyglottos 
Galeoscoptes  carolinensis 
Harporhynchus  rufus 
Thryothorus  ludovicianus 
Troglodytes  aedon 

"  hiemalis 

Certhia  familiaris  americana 
Sitta  carolinensis 
"     canadensis 
"     pusilla 
Parus  bicolor 
"     atricapillus 
"     carolinensis 
"      hudsonicus 
Regulus  satrapa 

calendula 
Turdus  mustelinus 


134  DWIGHT 

Turdus  fuscescens  Turdus  aonalaschkse  pallasii 

".      aliciae  Merula  migratoria 

"  "     bicknelli  Hesperocichla  naevia 

"       ustulatus  swainsonii  Sialia  sialis 

CLASS   D 

Pinicola  enucleator  Loxia  curvirostra  minor 

Carpodacus  purpureus  "     leucoptera 

Dendroica  caerulescens  (F  ?) 

CLASS   E 
Icterus  galbula 

CLASS   F 

Tyrannus  verticalis  (J  ?)  Piranga  rubra 

Icterus  spurius  Dendroica  virens 

Guiraca  caerulea  Setophaga  ruticilla 

CLASS  G 

Dolichonyx  oryzivorus  Cistothorus  stellaris 

Ammodramus  caudacutus  "  palustris 

"  c.  nelsoni 

c.  subvirgatus 

CLASS  H 

Milvulus  tyrannus  Passerina  cyanea 

Tyrannus  tyrannus  Calamospiza  melanocorys 

Spinus  tristis  Piranga  ludoviciana 

Habia  ludoviciana  "      erythomelas 

CLASS  I 

Ammmodramus  princeps  Dendroica  tigrina 

"     sandwichensis  savanna  "  sestiva 

"     savannarum  passerinus  "  coronata 

"      henslowii  "  maculosa 

Zonotrichia  albicollis  "  caerulea 

Spiza  americana  "  pensylvanica 

Mniotilta  varia  "  castanea 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF   NEW   YORK  135 

Dendroica  striata  Anthus  pensilvanicus 

"          blackburniae  Saxicola  cenanthe 

CLASS    J 

Plectrophenax  nivalis  (A  ?)  Helminthophila  peregrina 

Calcarius  lapponicus  Compsothlypis  americana 

ornatus  Dendroica  palmarum 
Chondestes  grammacus  "  "       hypochrysea 

Zonotrichia  leucophrys  Geothlypis  formosa 
Spizella  socialis  "          agilis 

Melospiza  georgiana  "         Philadelphia 

Lanius  borealis  "          trichas 

ludovicianus  Sylvania  pusilla 
Helminthophila  ruficapilla  "        canadensis 

"  celata  Polioptila  caerulea 

Descriptions  of  Species  and  their  Moults. 

The  following  pages  contain  a  description  of  each  of  the  suc- 
cessive plumages  of  every  Passerine  species  accredited  to  New 
York  state  including  introduced  foreign  species.  My  object  is 
not  so  much  to  give  a  precise  description,  such  as  may  now  be 
found  in  every  book,  as  to  throw  light  on  the  changes  effected 
by  moult  and  wear,  therefore  only  the  JUVENAL  and  FIRST  WIN- 
TER PLUMAGES  have  been  treated  at  length  because  upon  them 
depends  a  proper  understanding  of  later  stages.  The  JUVENAL 
PLUMAGE  of  a  number  of  species  is  here  described  for  the  first 
time  but  I  have  not  succeeded  in  obtaining  this  stage  of  Alauda 
arvensis,  Carduelis  carduelis,  Ammodramus  caudacutus  nelsoni, 
Passerella  iliaca,  Dendroica  palmarum,  and  Geothlypis  agilis.  The 
others  are  in  my  own  collection  with  the  exception  of  eleven 
loaned  me  by  Mr.  WM.  BREWSTER,  ten  by  the  American  Museum 
of  Natural  History  and  six  by  the  United  States  National 
Museum.  The  "Nomenclature  of  Colors"  by  Ridgway  ('86) 
has  been  carefully  followed,  comparisons  have  been  made  in  a 
bright  light  and  the  nomenclature  chosen  is  that  of  the  A.  O.  U. 
Check-List,  2d  edition  ('95). 


136  DWIGHT 

For  the  excellence  of  the  photographic  work  I  am  indebted 
to  the  painstaking  endeavors  of  Dr.  EDWARD  LEAKING  and  the 
photomicrographs  are  unquestionably  the  best  and  practically 
the  only  ones  of  feathers  that  have  ever  been  reproduced.  It 
is  needless  to  specify  the  difficulties  encountered  in  selecting 
feathers  of  similar  size  to  avoid  distortion  by  photographic  en- 
largement and  gravure  reduction. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  say  that  as  I  trace  out  the  sequence 
of  moults  and  plumages  in  species  with  which  I  have  been  un- 
familiar, it  becomes  more  and  more  evident  that  moult  and 
wear  are  quite  sufficient  to  explain  the  most  puzzling  plumages, 
and  the  only  problems  as  yet  unsolved  are  those  dealing  with 
birds  of  which  we  do  not  possess  enough  specimens  to  link  to- 
gether all  the  successive  plumages  into  a  symmetrical  chain. 


TYRANNID.E. 

The  Flycatchers  offer  one  of  the  most  puzzling  problems  of 
moult  to  be  found  among  our  Passerine  birds  and  the  reasons 
for  this  are  not  far  to  seek.  With  the  exception  of  two  species, 
M.  crinitus  and  5.  phcebe,  young  birds  and  old  migrate  south- 
ward in  the  fall  before  moulting,  to  any  marked  extent  and 
when  they  return,  show  by  their  plumage  that  at  least  one, 
and  in  some  cases  probably  two  moults  have  been  accomplished 
during  their  absence  of  six  or  seven  months.  A  few  specimens 
from  South  and  Central  America,  taken  in  January  and  March, 
show  new  growing  feathers — but  the  material  is,  much  of  it,  un- 
dated and  far  too  scanty  to  render  satisfactory  conclusions  possi- 
ble. Another  reason  may  be  found  in  the  plumage  itself,  which 
does  not  vary  much  in  color  from  season  to  season  and  close 
scrutiny  of  the  feathers  is  required  in  order  to  distinguish  old  from 
new.  The  body  plumage,  too,  is  soft  and  of  loose  texture,  even 
the  Juvenal  differing  little  from  later  stages,  so  that  wear  is  not 
very  obvious.  When,  however,  suitable  material  from  the 
tropics  is  forthcoming,  the  exact  time  of  moults  and  their  ex- 
tent will  be  settled,  but  until  then  we  must  draw  inferences 
largely  from  the  comparative  study  of  plumage. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  137 

Some  young  birds  undoubtedly  replace  the  body  plumage 
extensively  before  they  move  south,  as  shown  by  specimens  in 
my  collection  ;  others,  as  proved  by  their  Juvenal  dress  conspicu- 
ous for  brownish  wing  bands,  reach  Guatemala  or  adjacent  coun- 
tries before  moulting.  It  seems  more  than  probable  that  the 
incoming  feathers  observed  on  birds  when  they  leave  us  de- 
note a  slow  process  of  moult  involving  later  the  wings  themselves, 
an  order  of  moult  that  would  be  a  reversal  of  the  usual  method. 
If,  however,  this  prove  to  be  the  case  then  the  transition  would  be 
effected  by  a  very  late  postjuvenal  moult  in  young  birds  and  the 
first  nuptial  plumage  would  be  the  first  winter  modified  by  wear. 
Some  adults,  like  the  young  birds,  begin  to  assume  a  few  new 
feathers  before  moving  southwards,  others  reach  their  winter 
haunts  in  worn  breeding  dress.  That  a  complete  postnuptial 
moult  takes  place  we  may  hardly  doubt,  for  this  moult  is  com- 
mon to  all  species  and  it  probably  takes  place  during  the  last 
months  of  the  year,  or  just  prior  at  least  to  the  postjuvenal 
moult  of  young  birds.  This  would  explain  why  all  specimens 
arriving  from  the  south  in  spring  are  in  almost  equally  fresh 
plumage,  whether  young  or  old,  seemingly  too  fresh  to  have 
been  worn  since  the  previous  autumn. 

I  have  indicated  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome  in  studying 
this  family  and  the  same  ones  confront  us  among  the  Hirnndinidce 
and  a  few  other  species.  If  my  conclusions  are  erroneous  they 
fail  in  matters  of  time  rather  than  facts  of  moult. 

Milvulus  tyrannus  (Linn.).     FORK-TAILED  FLYCATCHER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVKXAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  wings  and  tail,  olive-brown  ;  coverts  and  wing-quills  narrowly 
edged  with  pale  russet.  Below,  white.  Orbital  region  dull  clove-brown.  Bill 
and  feet  brownish-black  in  dried  specimen.  The  tips  of  the  primaries  are 
rounded  and  there  is  no  yellow  crown-patch.  The  tail  is  but  five  inches  in 
length. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postjuv- 
enal moult  as  shown  by  two  specimens  from  Costa  Rica,  Septem- 
ber 18  (Amer.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.  No.  48225  $  and  No.  48228  9), 


138  DWIGHT 

the  male  with  two  old  primaries  still  unrenewed,  the  female  with 
five  old  ones,  and  both  with  brown  heads,  and  many  other 
feathers  of  the  Juvenal  plumage.  Young  and  old  become  prac- 
tically indistinguishable. 

M.ales  become  glossy  black  with  yellow  crown  patch  ;  the  outer  pair  of  rectrices  are 
fully  nine  inches  in  length  and  blacker  than  those  of  the  juvenal  dress ;  the 
three  distal  primaries  are  deeply  incised  at  the  tips,  a  peculiar  emargination. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  which  involves  usually  only  the  body  plumage. 
The  evidence   as   to   just   what  moult  occurs   is   inconclusive, 
Two   specimens   from   Brazil,    of  February    I,  and   March    15 
(Amer.    Mus.    Nat    Hist.    No.    36336   9   and   No.    36338  9), 
appear  to  be  in  worn  juvenal  plumage  and  are  assuming  a  few 
new  feathers  here  and  there.      Males  would  probably  show  an 
extensive  and  possibly  a   complete  moult,  and  it   may  be   that 
these  two  birds  were  males  that  failed  to  accomplish  the  post- 
juvenal  moult  at  the   usual  time.     A   specimen  (Amer.    Mus. 
Nat.    Hist.,  No.    36339  $,  Brazil,   March  11),  is  moulting  the 
primaries,    only   five    old    ones   remaining,   two   of  which   are 
emarginate,  suggestive  of  a  young  bird,  but  nevertheless  the  bird 
may  perhaps  be  an  adult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  during  August  and  September  as  shown  by  several 
Costa  Rican,  Venezuelan,  and  Brazilian  birds.      October  speci- 
mens begin  to  show  wear  which  has  become  very  marked  in  one 
of  December  5. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  and  per- 
haps complete  prenuptial  moult.     The  rapid  and  excessive  wear 
shown  by  this  species  points  to   a  complete  moult  which   No. 
36339,  referred  to  above,  may  exemplify.      A  female   (Amer, 
Mus.,  Nat.  Hist.  No.  36337)  Brazil,  February  I,  also  points  rx> 
this,  the  two  proximal  primaries  being  new. 

Female. — As  indicated  above  males  and  females  in  juvenal 
plumage  are  alike  and  both  acquire  adult  dress  at  the  post- 
juvenal  moult,  this  being  delayed  perhaps,  in  some  females,  until 
the  prenuptial  moult.  In  later  plumages  the  sexes  are  very 
similar,  the  females  usually  with  less  emargination. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  139 

The  difficulties  of  reaching  positive  conclusions  from  a  small 
series  is  well  illustrated  by  this  species,  especially  as  the  age 
and  sex  of  some  specimens  is  open  to  doubt. 

Tyrannus  tyrannus  (Linn.).     KINGBIRD. 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  wings,  dull  clove-brown  usually  darkest  on  pileum,  the  feathers  of 
nape  and  rump  obscurely  edged  with  cinnamon,  wing  coverts  edged  with  pale  buff 
including  two  indistinct  wing  bands,  secondaries  with  yellowish  white,  primaries 
and  tertiaries  with  dull  white  ;  tail  black,  tipped  with  brownish  white  especially 
outer  rectrices.  Below,  pure  white,  a  grayish  band  tinged  with  buff  across 
jugulum.  Bill  and  feet  dusky,  becoming  black.  Thrfirst  and  second  primaries 
are  rounded,  and  without  emargination  (plate  II,  fig.  18)  and  no  crown 
patch  exists. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  late  postju venal 
moult  which  is  probably  complete,  so  far  as  indicated  by  a  few 
scanty    facts.     Specimens  taken  late  in  August  and  up  to  Sep- 
tember 1 6  show  new   growth  of  feathers  scattered  about  the 
head,  throat  and  back.     The  head  and  back  evidently  become 
darker,  the  pectoral  band  grayer  and  more  diffused  and  a  few 
yellowish   feathers    may  appear    on   the   crown  but  the    birds 
seem    to    pass    south    before    the    moult   is    complete.       Birds 
taken  in   Central   America,  unfortunately  without  dates,  show 
that  the  species  reaches  the  tropics   without  any  moult  of  the 
flight  feathers  or  of  the  wing  coverts  and  often  in  full  Juvenal 
plumage.      It  is  an  interesting   problem  whether  the  wings  and 
tail  are  renewed  at  the  end  of  the  postjuvenal  moult  or  at  a 
prenuptial  moult,  the  former  conclusion  being  most  probable- 
A  bird  from  South  America  taken  March  3 1  (which  may  pos- 
sibly be  an  adult)  shows  a  recently  completed  moult  the  sheaths 
still  .adhering  to  the  new  primaries.      More  winter  material  is 
much  to  be  desired. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult.     This  I  believe   is   the   true   explanation   of 
why  birds  return  in  spring  in  fresh  plumage  including  the  two 
outer  emarginate  primaries  (the  shape  being  indicated  on  plate 
II,  fig.  19),  a  new  white-tipped  tail  and  the  orange  crown  patch, 


140  DWIGHT 

young  and  old  being  indistinguishable.  April  specimens  from 
Georgia  and  Florida  often  show  a  few  "pin  feathers."  Wear  is 
marked  in  this  species  before  the  end  of  the  breeding  season  less 
than  four  months  later  which  is  an  argument  in  favor  of  a 
prenuptial  moult,  because  the  feathers  seen  in  April,  even  if  ac- 
quired late  in  the  autumn,  ought  to  be  as  much  worn  as  those 
of  August  specimens. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a   complete  post- 
nuptial moult  few  traces   of  which  appear  before  the  species 
migrates  southward  late  in  August.      Whether  birds  renew  the 
flight-feathers  on  the  journey  or  after  reaching  winter  quarters, 
material  does   not  show  for  the  wear  of  flight-feathers  in  aerial 
species  is  so  trifling   that   their  study  proves  little  positively. 
Perhaps  one  moult  and  probably  two  takes  place  during  the 
six  or  seven  months  this  species  is  absent, 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired,  probably  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult.      Mid-summer   birds  become   paler   and   the 
feathers  a  good  deal  frayed. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  sexes  are  alike  ;  at  the  post- 
ju venal  or  possibly  prenuptial  moult,  the  crown  patch  and  one 
emarginate  primary  are  acquired,  the  latter  character  distinguish- 
ing the  sexes  in  later  plumages.  Some  females,  however,  have 
two  emarginate  primaries,  but  these  are  regularly  less  narrowed 
than  those  of  males. 


Tyrannus  verticalis  (Say.).     ARKANSAS  KINGBIRD 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Crown  and  nape  ecru-drab  obscurely  vermiculated  with  paler  edgings,  back  olive- 
buff,  upper  tail  coverts  pale  clove-brown.  Wings  pale  clove-brown  with 
whitish  edgings  faintly  tinged  with  yellowish  buff.  Tail  dull  black,  tipped 
with  pale  brown,  the  outer  webs  of  outer  pair  of  rectrices  white.  Below,  prim- 
rose-yellow, ashy  on  throat  and  white  on  chin,  lores  dusky.  Bill  and  feet  dull, 
brownish  black  in  dried  specimens.  The  first  primary  is  not  attenuated  nor  is 
the  crown  patch  present. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  postjuvenal  moult 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF   NEW   YORK  141 

which  is  possibly   complete,  young  and   old    becoming  indis- 
tinguishable. 

The  head  and  throat  are  plumbeous,  there  is  an  orange  crown-patch,  the  back  is  olive- 
green,  the  chin  white,  and  elsewhere  below  canary-yellow  prevails.  The  lores 
are  duller  than  in  juvenal  dress.  The  first  and  third  primaries  are  attenuated 
suddenly  at  their  tips,  the  second  less  so. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  which  involves  some  of  the  body  plumage  but 
not  the  wings  nor  tail.      Western  March  and  April  specimens 
show  a  few  "  pin  feathers."     The  new,  greener  ones  on  the  back 
are  mixed  with  the  worn  greyer  ones  of  the  winter  dress  which 
ls  partly  retained.     The  mid-tertiary  is  sometimes  renewed. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  occurring  in  September  in  southern  California.     The 
plumbeous  of  the  head  and  yellow  of  lower  parts  are  rather 
richer  in  adults. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  the  colors  being  a  little  duller  and  the  crown  patch 
smaller.  There  is  usually  only  a  trace  of  attenuation  in  the 
first  primary  and  none  in  the  others.  In  juvenal  plumage  the 
sexes  are  indistinguishable. 

Myiarchus  crinitus  (Linn.).     CRESTED  FLYCATCHER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  neck,  dark  olive  brown,  upper  tail  coverts  cin- 
namon-rufous. Wings  and  tail  clove-brown,  edgings  of  the  median  and 
greater  coverts,  and  inner  webs  of  rectrices  rich  cinnamon-rufous,  of  the  tertiaries 
very  pale  buff.  Below,  primrose-yellow,  throat  and  breast  ashy-gray,  palest 
centrally  on  chin.  Bill  black.  Feet  sepia  brown,  black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  by  the  middle  of  August,  which  involves  the 
body  plumage,  wing-coverts  and  tertiaries  (apparently),  but  not 
the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young  birds  becoming  prac- 
tically indistinguishable  from  adults. 


142  DWIGHT 

Above,  dull  brownish  olive-green,  greener  than  in  previous  plumage,  the  feathers 
darker  centrally,  producing  a  streaked  effect  chiefly  on  the  pileum  ;  upper 
tail  coverts  dark  cinnamon-rufous ;  wing  covert  edgings,  including  two  wing- 
bands,  grayish  or  yellowish-buff.  Below,  bright  lemon-yellow,  brighter  than 
in  previous  dress,  throat  lores  and  auriculars  ashy-gray. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  which  is  quite 
obvious,  the  edgings  of  the  wing  coverts  and  tertiaries  fading  to 
a  dingy  white  and  the  whole  plumage  becoming  paler. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  early  in  August  and  completed  before 
the  birds  move  south  in  September.      Practically  indistinguish- 
able from  first  winter,  the  colors  often  richer.  ' 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  as    in  the 
young  bird. 

Female, — Moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of  the 
male,  the  colors  often  duller. 

Sayornis  phcebe  (Lath.).     PHCEBE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  neck,  wings  and  tail,  olive-brown,  distinctly 
clove-brown  on  pileum  and  nape.  Below,  yellow-tinged  white,  breast,  throat 
and  sides  of  chin,  brownish  olive-gray.  Greater  and  median  coverts  (i.  e., 
wing  bands)  and  rectrices  tipped  with  cinnamon-rufous,  secondaries  and  ter- 
tiaries, edged  with  brownish  or  yellowish  white  Bill  and  feet  raw  umber- 
brown,  black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult  beginning  about  mid-August  which  involves  the  body 
plumage,  wing  coverts  and  tertiaries,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail.      Birds  in  Juvenal  dress  occur  as  late  as  the 
end  of  September.     After   moulting  they   are  yellower   below 
with  pale  grayish  wing  bands  and  practically  indistinguishable 
from  adults. 

Above,  olive-brown,  greener  than  in  previous  plumage,  pileum  nearly  black,  the 
olive  of  the  upper  parts  encroaching  on  sides  of  chin,  throat  and  flanks.  Be. 
low,  primrose-yellow,  a  grayish  pectoral  band  very  faintly  indicated.  The  wing 
coverts  are  narrowly  edged  with  yellowish  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  the  brown  of 
the  upper  parts  and  the  yellow  below  becoming  paler.      During 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  143 

the  breeding  season  the  plumage  becomes  excessively  worn  and 
ragged,  pale  brown  prevailing  above,  and  below  a  dirty  mottled 
white  produced  by  exposure  of  the  grayish  bases  of  abraided 
feathers. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult,  beginning  after  August  I5th.     Adults  are  per- 
haps a  trifle  darker  than  young  birds,  especially  the  remiges. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  correspond  to 
those  of  the  male.  I  have  examined  birds  taken  every  month 
in  the  year,  both  males  and  females. 


Contopus  borealis  (Swains.).  OLIVE-SIDED  FLYCATCHER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  together  with  sides  of  head  the  throat  and  flanks  deep  olive-brown,  pileum, 
wings  and  tail  deep  clove-brown  ;  sides  of  rump,  white  ;  wing  coverts  edged 
with  ochraceous-buff,  tertiaries  tipped  with  brownish  white,  sides  of  rump  and 
flanks  white.  Below,  primrose-yellow,  narrowed  to  a  median  line  on  the  breast 
by  olive-brown  streaking  on  throat  and  sides.  Bill  black,  the  under  mandible 
buff  centrally.  Feet  bistre,  black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  late  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  in  September  which  possibly  is  complete.      I 
have  seen  no  extra-limital  specimens  'but  I   should  expect  to 
find  them  retaining  the  brown  wing  edgings.      Pale  wing  bands 
are  probably  acquired  at  this  moult  when  young  birds  become 
practically  indistinguishable  from  adults. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired    apparently  by  wear. 
Birds  return  from  the  south  in  fresh  little  worn  plumage,  the 
young  birds  with  a  dull  clay-colored  lower  mandible.      Old  worn 
feathers  may  be  found  mixed  with  the  new  in  some  specimens, 
very  strongly  suggestive  of  a  recent  limited  prenuptial  moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  seldom  begun  until  the  birds  have  migrated  south- 
ward in  September.      A  specimen  from  Pinal  County,  Arizona, 


144  D  WIGHT 

September  28  (Amer.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  No.  29020),  is  still  in 
much  worn  nuptial  dress  ;  also  a  bird  without  date  from  Guate- 
mala (No.  42767). 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  or  possibly 
by  partial  renewal  of  the  body  plumage. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  in  plumages  and  moults. 

Contopus  virens  (Linn.).     WOOD  PEWEE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  olive-brown,  much  darker  on  the  pileum,  the 
feathers  of  the  crown  and  rump  faintly  edged  with  pale  russet  and  those  of  the 
nape  with  ashy  gray,  producing  a  distinct  collar.  Wings  and  tail  clove  brown, 
wing  coverts  edged  with  ochraceous  buff,  at  tips  of  median  and  greater  coverts 
producing  two  wing  bands.  Below,  pale  primrose-yellow,  sides  of  throat, 
flanks  and  an  indistinct  olive-gray  pectoral  band.  Bill  black,  under  mandible 
wood-brown  dusky  at  tip  and  edges,  paler  in  spring.  Feet  sepia,  nearly  black 
when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  partial 
postjuvenal  moult  beginning  early  in  September.      Resembles 
closely  the  previous   dress,   but   grayish   instead   of  brownish 
tinged  above,  the  edgings  and  collar  lost  and  the  new  wing- 
bands  grayish.     The.  Juvenal    plumage   persists   in   specimens 
taken  near  New  York   city,  September  30,  in  North  Carolina 
October  5  and  17,  and  Guatemala  is  reached  with  brown  wing 
bands  as  proved  by  an  undated  specimen  (Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist., 
No.  42273). 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  never 
marked  in  this  species. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  chiefly  or  wholly  after  the  birds  have  migrated 
southward.     A  very  few   new  body   feathers  begin  to  appear 
towards  the  end  of  August,  and  a  worn  adult  from  Guatemala, 
undated  (Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist,  No.  42771),  shows  that  migra- 
tion may  precede  moult  in  this  species. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  in- 
significant even  up  to  the  end  of  the  breeding  season. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  in  plumages  and  moults. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  145 

Empidonax  flaviventris   (Baird).     YELLOW-BELLIED 
FLYCATCHER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Brownish  olive -green. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Upper  parts,  sides  of  head  and  throat,  an  obscure  pectoral  band,  and  lesser  wing 
coverts  olive-green,  the  crown  feathers  centrally  darker.  Wings  and  tail  deep 
olive-brown ;  median  and  greater  wing  coverts  edged  with  rich  buff  yellow 
forming  two  distinct  wing  bands,  secondaries  narrowly  and  tertiaries  broadly 
edged  with  yellowish  white.  Below,  sulphur-yellow,  including  the  orbital 
ring.  Bill  black,  the  under  mandible  flesh.  Feet  dusky  flesh-color. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  postju venal  moult 
possibly  complete  after  the  birds   migrate   southward.       Mid- 
August  specimens  begin  to  show  moult,  the  upper  parts  becom- 
ing greener  and  the  lower  yellower,  but  others  as  late  as  Sep- 
tember 24  and  a  few  without  dates  of  capture  from  Guatemala 
and  Mexico  still  bear  the  Juvenal  dress  with  the  brownish  wing 
bands. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.     Young  birds 
are  practically  indistinguishable   from  adults,  the  wing  bands  of 
all   early  arrivals   from  the   south  being   whitish,  yellow  tinged, 
and  the  individual  feathers  little  worn  indicating  a  late  postjuve- 
nal  moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  occurring  probably  late  in  the  year  after  the  birds 
have  reached  southern  latitudes.     A  specimen  from  Tehuante- 
pec,  Mexico,  January  1st  (Am.    Mus.   Nat.    Hist.,  No.  42940), 
shows  actual  moult  in  progress  of  the  body  plumage  and  wing 
coverts,  the  wings   and   tail  being   old   and  worn.     This  may, 
however,  be  a  young  bird.      Another  bird    from  Panama   (No. 
42946),  without  date,  shows  moult  of  the  body  plumage.     The 
wing  bands  are  new  and  faintly  yellow  in  both,  but  they  prove 
little  except  a  midwinter  moult. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE    acquired    probably  by    wear 
alone   after  a  late   autumnal  or  midwinter  acquisition  of  new 
plumage. 

Female. — The  sexes  do  not  differ  in  plumage   nor   in  moult. 
ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Scr.,  XIII,  August  27,  1900 — 10 


146  DWIGHT 

Empidonax  virescens  (Vieill.).      GREEN- CRESTED  FLYCATCHER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  neck  olive-green,  the  crown  feathers  darker 
centrally,  the  pileum  not  darker  than  the  back.  Wings  and  tail  deep  olive- 
brown,  median  and  greater  wing  coverts  edged  with  rich  buff  forming  two  wing 
bands,  edgings  of  secondaries  and  tertiaries  paler  buff.  Below,  pale  greenish 
sulphur-yellow,  the  chin  white,  a  faint  olive-gray  pectoral  band.  Bill  black, 
the  lower  mandible  pinkish  buff.  Feet  sepia,  nearly  black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  an  in- 
complete postjuvenal  moult.     Young  and  old  pass  south  before 
moulting   as   indicated  by  birds  taken  near   New  York   up  to 
September    19.       I    have    seen    no    specimens    from    southern 
latitudes. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.      Light  wing 
bands  and  greener  plumage  are  acquired  during  the  winter  ab- 
sence. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult   probably   after  the   birds   have   reached   winter 
quarters. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired    probably  by  wear, 
which  at  all  seasons  seems  to  be  insignificant. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  in  plumages  and  moults. 

Empidonax  traillii  alnorum  (Brewst.).     ALDER  FLYCATCHER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  olive -brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  lesser  coverts  olive-brown,  pileum  darker  and 
in  contrast  (usually)  with  the  back,  the  crown  feathers  darker  still  centrally. 
Wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown,  median  and  greater  wing  coverts  edged  with 
rich  buff  forming  two  distinct  wing  bands  ;  secondaries  and  tertiaries  edged 
with  pale  buff.  Below,  dull  white,  usually  tinged  with  pale  sulphur-yellow  on 
crissum  and  sides  of  abdomen  ;  an  olive-gray  wash  on  sides  of  breast  and  flanks 
and  across  jugulum  where  it  forms  an  indistinct  pectoral  band  slightly  tinged 
with  buff.  Buffy  orbital  ring.  Bill  black,  the  lower  mandible  pinkish  buff. 
Feet  sepia,  nearly  black  when  older.  Some  specimens  are  wholly  ashy  every- 
where below  without  yellow  tinge.  Differs  from  E.JIaviventris  and  E.  vires- 
c ens  in  being  browner  above,  the  head  dark  in  contrast. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  147 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  an  incomplete  postju- 
venal  moult.     Birds  became  yellower  below  and  greener  above, 
but  many,  as  shown  by  specimens  taken  near  New  York  up  to 
September  26,  pass  south  in  juvenal  plumage.     I  have  seen  a 
few  extra-limital  specimens,  without  dates,  from  Central  America. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE    acquired    probably    by    wear, 
which  tends  to  make  the  plumage  paler  and  brings  the  dark  cen- 
ters of  the  crown-feathers  into  prominence  during  the  breed- 
ing season.     The  wing  bands  are  buff-tinged  as  compared  with 
those  of  E.  minimus  in  corresponding  plumage. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  after  the  birds  have  passed  south  as  proved  by  Cen- 
tral American  specimens. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  wear. 
Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  identical. 


Empidonax  minimus  (Baird).  LEAST  FLYCATCHER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by    a    complete  postnuptial 
moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  olive-brown,  greener  on  the  back,  a  faint  ashy  gray 
collar.  Wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown,  median  and  greater  coverts  edged 
with  pale  buff  forming  two  wing  bands,  secondaries  and  tertiaries  with  dull  white. 
Below,  grayish  white,  a  smoky  gray  pectoral  band ;  pale  primrose-yellow  on 
abdomen  and  crissum.  Orbital  ring  dull  white.  Bill  black,  under  mandible 
pinkish  buff.  Feet  sepia,  nearly  black  when  older. 

The  species  in  this  plumage  is  not  so  green  above  as  E.  virescens,  but  browner  and 
very  like  E.  t.  alnorum  from  which  it  may  be  differentiated  by  its  grayer  lower 
parts,  somewhat  paler  wing  bands  and  smaljer  bill. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  postjuvenal  moult, 
possibly  complete,  after  the  birds    have    migrated  southward. 
Some  specimens  become  greener  above  and  yellower  below  be- 
fore they  leave  for  the  south  late  in  August,  but  others  reach 
southern  latitudes  in  juvenal  dress.     A  bird  from  Tehuantepec, 
Mexico  (Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist,  No.  42957),  on  January  9,  still 
retains  the  brown  wing  bands. 


148  DWIGHT 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    probably   by    wear. 
Pale  grayish  wing  bands  are  acquired,  during  the  winter  absence 
differences  between  young  and  old  birds  being  lost.     Old  brown- 
ish wing  coverts  retained  among  the  new  are  sometimes  found, 
and  the  greener,  fresher  appearance  of  some  of  the  feathers  of 
the  back  suggests  a  possible  partial  renewal  in  spring.     This 
species  shows  more  wear  than  E.  flaviventris. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  after  the  birds  have  passed  south.    Two  specimens  (Am. 
Mus.  Nat   Hist.,   Nos.   42957  and  42959)  from  Tehuantepec, 
Mexico,  January  9  and  4  respectively,  appear  to  be  still  in  worn 
adult  nuptial  dress   as   compared   with   two  (Nos.   66879  an<^ 
66877),  March  7  and  26,  from  Yucatan  in  fresh  plumage.      It  is 
perplexing  however  to  find  two  birds  (No.  66881,  March  2,  and 
66878,  March  1 2)  from  Yucatan  in  worn  plumage  with  whitish 
wing  bands.       It    is    possible    they   are  all   young   birds   that 
originally  had  the  wing  bands  very  pale  and  they  have  faded 
to  nearly  white  before  the  postjuvenal  moult   has  begun.     The 
difficulties  of  reaching  definite  conclusions  are  well  exemplified 
by  this  species. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  which  is  in- 
conspicuous. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  in  plumages  and  moults. 

ALAUDIDJE 

It  is  pleasant  to  turn  from  the  puzzling  Flycatchers  to  the 
Larks  represented  by  the  Horned  Lark,  a  widely  distributed 
species  in  North  America  and  divided  into  numerous  races.  All 
these  appear  to  moult  the  same,  adults  undergoing  one  annual 
moult  and  young  birds  assuming  a  plumage  practically  identical 
with  that  of  adults  by  a  complete  postjuvenal  moult.  Wear 
takes  the  place  of  a  prenuptial  moult  and  produces  marked 
effects.  The  veiled  black  of  breast  and  head  in  the  fall  is 
brought  into  prominence  in  the  spring  by  extensive  loss  of  the 
buff  feather  edgings,  while  during  the  breeding  season  birds  be- 
come extremely  ragged  and  worn. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  149 

Alauda  arvensis  Linn.     SKYLARK 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 
No  specimen  seen ;  said  to  be  tawny  and  spotted. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  partial 
(possibly  complete)  postju venal  moult. 

Above,  yellowish  brown  with  darker  streakings,  the  wings  and  tail  with  buff  edg- 
ings. Below,  dull  white  with  tawny  suffusion,  streaked  rather  narrowly,  with 
brownish  black. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  evidently  acquired  by  wear,  the 
colors  becoming  paler. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Adults  are  less  tawny  and  the  edgings  less 
pronounced  than  in  young  birds. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear. 

It  is  somewhat  presumptuous  for  me  to  attempt,  from  the  mere 
handful  of  specimens  I  have  examined,  an  explanation  of  the 
moults  of  this  well-known  European  songster  which  has  been 
introduced  and  become  established  near  New  York  city,  but  I 
believe  the  material  warrants  the  above  conclusions. 

Otocoris  alpestris  (Linn.).     HORNED  LARK 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult 
and  worn  for  a  long  time. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  lesser  wing  coverts,  clove-brown,  mixed  with 
sepia,  dotted  with  buffy  white.  Wings  deep  sepia,  quills  and  coverts  edged 
with  dull  vinaceous  cinnamon.  Tail  dull  black,  the  middle  pair  of  rectrices 
mottled  and  paler,  edged  with  vinaceous-cinnamon,  the  outer  ones  with  buffy 
white.  Below,  white,  yellow-tinged,  the  chin  flecked  with  clove  brown,  a  pec- 
toral band  wood-brown,  streaked  and  spotted  like  the  chin.  Bill  pinkish  buff, 
darker  at  the  tip,  deep  plumbeous  when  older.  Feet  raw  umber- brown, 
black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
juvenal  moult  occurring  in  August  in  Newfoundland. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage,  unstreaked  below,  unspotted  above.  Above,  vina- 
ceous buff,  brightest  on  nape,  vinaceous  cinnamon  on  rump  flanks  and  wing 


150  DWIGHT 

coverts  streaked  on  head  and  back  with  sepia.  Forehead,  lateral  "horns," 
lores,  auriculars  and  triangular  breast  patch  black,  veiled  by  overlapping  pale 
buff  or  pinkish  feather  tips.  Wings  deep  sepia,  primaries  much  darker,  edged 
with  whitish,  the  rest  of  the  wing  feathers  edged  with  vinaceous  cinnamon. 
Tail  brownish  black,  the  outer  rectrices  edged  with  white,  the  middle  pair 
paler,  broadly  edged  with  pinkish  Isabella-color.  Below,  dull  white,  the  chin, 
sides  of  head  and  forehead  strongly  suffused  with  lemon  or  canary-yellow,  a 
buffy  band  across  breast  below  the  black  patch,  flecked  with  dusky  spots. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  which  brings 
the  black  areas  into  prominence.     A  number  of  spring  speci- 
mens show  a  few  growing  feathers  about  the  sides  of  the  head 
and  chin,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  this  slight  renewal  betokens 
a    prenuptial    moult.     As    the  birds   leave  for   their   northern 
breeding  grounds  early  in  the  spring  the  matter  is  worthy  of 
further  investigation. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult  probably  in  August  on  the  northern  breeding 
grounds.     Hardly    distinguishable  from    first    winter    dress   in 
many  cases.     The  pectoral  buffy  band  is  less  conspicuous  and 
less  spotted,  and  adults  are  perhaps  pinker  above. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in    the 
young  bird. 

Female. — In  Juvenal  plumage  females  are  indistinguishable 
from  the  males.  In  other  plumages  they  lack  the  .black  fore- 
head, of  the  male,  being  streaked  instead,  the  breast  patch  is 
limited,  the  back  is  more  streaked  and  the  colors  are  duller. 
The  moults  are  identical. 


Otocoris  alpestris  praticola  Hensh.     PRAIRIE  HORNED  LARK 

All  plumages  correspond  to  those  of  0.  alpestris,  darker  colors 
and  lack  of  yellow  being  the  chief  differences  aside  from  relative 
size.  The  Juvenal  plumage  is  very  dark  brown  above,  spotted 
with  brownish  white,  and  white  below,  heavily  spotted  on  the 
breast  with  dull  black.  In  first  winter  and  later  plumages  the 
white  superciliary  lines,  perhaps  faintly  tinged  with  yellow,  are  a 
good  diagnostic  character. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF   NEW  YORK  151 

Otocoris  alpestris  leucolama  (Coues).     PALLID  HORNED 

LARK 

The  adult  plumages  correspond  to  those  of  0.  alpestris,  paler 
colors  and  larger  size  being  the  principal  differences.  The  Juvenal 
plumage  is  nearly  black  above,  spotted  with  pale  buff  and  similar 
below  to  0.  a.  praticola. 

Pica  pica  hudsonica  (Sab.).     AMERICAN  MAGPIE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  and  on  throat,  breast  and  crissum,  dull  black ;  abdomen  and  feathers  of  hu- 
meral tracts  white,  the  latter  with  buff  or  dusky  tinge.  Wings,  including  coverts, 
iridescent  greens  and  blues,  the  latter  chiefly  on  the  secondaries  and  tertiaries, 
the  primaries  white  except  on  outer  edge.  Tail  iridescent  or  metallic  purples, 
greens  and  blues. 

A  bird  of  June  22d,  from  eastern  Washington,  is  in  full  Juvenal 
dress,  the  tail  one-half  grown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  but  not  the  wings  nor 
the  tail.     Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

A  metallic  purplish,  greenish  and  bluish  dress  is  assumed,  the  white  of  the  humeral 
tracts  is  more  conspicuous  and  the  rump  becomes  grayish  white.  The  feathers 
of  the  throat  are  white  basally. 

A  Western  specimen  of  August  1 8th  is  beginning  the  post- 
juvenal moult  and  one  of  September  i8th  is  in  full  first  winter 
plumage  except  an  area  of  purpy  feathers  on  the  mid- throat. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  very 
inconspicuous  as  is  commonly  the  case  in  species  with  iridescent 
plumage. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  and  practically  indistinguishable  from  first  winter 
dress. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  ^as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male. 


152  D  WIGHT 


The  Crows  and  Jays  have  but  one  moult  annually,  young 
birds  assuming  adult  plumage  except  for  the  flight-feathers  at 
the  postjuvenal  moult. 

Cyanocitta  cristata  (Linn.).     BLUE  JAY 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Pileum,  flax-flower  blue  separated  from  the  blue-tinged  white  forehead  and  white 
superciliary  line  by  a  narrow  black  line.  Nuchal  collar  continued  across  the 
throat  as  a  U-shaped  band,  lores  and  postocular  streak  black.  Back  and  lesser 
wing  coverts  mouse-gray,  tinged  with  blue.  Wings  various  shades  of  azure  and 
China-blue,  brightest  on  secondaries  and  tertiaries  which  are  broadly  tipped 
with  white  and  narrowly  barred  with  black.  The  greater  coverts  are  obscurely 
barred  and  are  terminally  white,  forming  a  single  wing  band.  Tail  centrally, 
China-blue,  barred  with  black,  the  outer  rectrices  largely  white.  Throat  white. 
Breast  and  abdomen  laterally  smoke-gray,  centrally  and  on  crissum,  yellowish 
white.  Bill  brownish  black.  Feet  raw  umber-  brown  becoming  black  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  early  in  August  which  involves  the  body  plumage,  the 
wing  coverts,  and  apparently  the  tertiaries,  but  not  the  rest  of 
the  wings  nor  the  tail.     Young  birds  become  practically  indis- 
tinguishable from  adults. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage  but  the  blue  of  head,  back  and  wing  coverts  now 
distinctly  barred  with  black  and  much  brighter,  and  the  crest  feathers  longer. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by   wear   which    is 
marked  by  the  end  of  the  breeding  season,  the  blues  becoming 
grayish  and  the  white  edgings  diminished. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  the  end  of  July.      Not  distinguishable 
from  first  winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  as  in   the 
young  bird. 

Female.  —  Plumages  similar  to  those  of  the  male,  the  colors 
duller,  with  less  black  and  barring.  Both  sexes  have  identical 
moults. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  153 

Perisoreus  canadensis  (Linn.).     CANADA  JAY 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Everywhere  brownish  slate-gray,  darker  on  the  crown,  paler  on  the  abdomen  and 
crissum.  The  feathers  are  lighter  basally  and  faintly  tipped  with  brown  produc- 
ing an  obscurely  mottled  effect.  Lores,  region  of  eye  and  forehead  dull  black. 
Malar  region  whitish  with  a  dull  white  spot  anteriorly.  Wings  dull  clove- 
brown  with  plumbeous  edgings  on  secondaries  and  inner  primaries,  all  the 
remiges  tipped  with  grayish  white,  the  greater  coverts  with  smoke-gray.  Tail 
slate-gray  tipped  with  brownish  white.  Bill  plumbeous.  Feet  brownish  black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult  in  August  which  involves  the  body  plumage  but  not  the 
wings   nor  the  tail.     Several  birds   kindly  loaned   me  by  Mr. 
Wm.  Brewster  show  different  stages  of  the  postjuvenal  moult 
which  is  completed  in  Maine  before  the  end  of  August. 

Old  and  young  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

Unlike  Juvenal  dress.  The  back  is  brownish  slate,  neck  whitish,  crown  and  nape 
brownish  black  with  a  large  brown-tinged  white  area  on  the  forehead.  Below, 
drab-gray,  white  on  chin,  throat,  lores,  auriculars,  sides  of  neck  and  crissum. 
Above,  dull  black  ;  dusky  beneath  and  behind  the  eye. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  in- 
conspicuous in  the  soft,  loose-textured  feathers. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear. 

Female. — In  moults  and  plumages  females  are  practically  in- 
distinguishable from  males. 

Corvus  corax  principalis  Ridgw.     NORTHERN  RAVEN 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Everywhere  dull  lustreless  brownish  black,  except  wings  and  tail  which  have 
greenish  and  purplish  reflections.  Bill  and  feet  black  except  when  very  young. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but 
not  the  remiges  and  rectrices.     The  glossy  dress  with  the  peculiar 


154  DWIGHT 

separated  throat  feathers  is  assumed  and  young  and  old  become 
indistinguishable. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  the  plumage 
becoming  somewhat  brown  late  in  the  season. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult,  beginning,  as  shown   by  Greenland   specimens, 
early  in  July. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear. 

Female. — In  plumages  and  moults  the  sexes  are  practically 
alike. 

Corvus  americanus  Aud.     AMERICAN  CROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.      Grayish  clove-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Body  plumage  dull  brownish  black,  wings  and  tail  glossy  black  with  greenish  and 
some  purplish  reflections.     Bill  and  feet  grayish  black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  July  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts 
but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  plumage  be- 
comes lustrous  greenish  black  everywhere,  and  young  birds  are 
practically   indistinguishable    from    adults    although    averaging 
greener. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  the  feathers 
becoming   brownish    and   worn    by   the   end    of  the    breeding 
season. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  as  early  as  the  end  of  June,  this  bird 
being  one  of  the  earliest  species  to  begin  this  moult.     Practically 
indistinguishable  from   first  winter   dress,   but    purplish    rather 
than  greenish  black. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the  young 
bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  in  plumages  and  moults. 


PASSERINE  BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  155 

Corvus  ossifragus  Wils.     FISH  CROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Body  plumage  brownish  black,  wings  and  tail  lustrous  black  with  greenish  reflec- 
tions. Bill  and  feet  grayish  black  becoming  jet  black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  July  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts 
but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  full  greenish 
black  glossy  plumage,  rather  bluer  than  the  last,  is  assumed, 
old  and  young  becoming  indistinguishable. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  not 
very  obvious  even  late  in  the  season. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Indistinguishable  from  first  winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as   in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  in  plumages  and  moults 

STURNHXE; 

Sturnus  vulgaris  Linn.     STARLING 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Drab-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Everywhere,  including  wings  and  tail,  brownish  mouse-gray,  the  wings  with  fawn- 
colored  edgings.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  during  August  in  New 
York  city  by  a  complete  postjuvenal  moult. 

Everywhere  bottle  or  purplish  green  with  metallic  reflections,  the  feathers  above 
with  cinnamon  terminal  spots,  smallest  on  the  head,  the  feathers  below  with 
white  spots.  Wings  and  tail  greenish  black  edged  with  cinnamon,  the  wing 
quills  having  a  pale  terminal  spot  bordered  with  black. 

Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable,  the  cin- 
namon spots  and  edgings  averaging  deeper  in  young  birds. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.     A  large  part 


156  DWIGHT 

of  the  spotting  is  entirely  lost  and  the  shape  of  the  feathers 
changed  thereby.  Wear  involves  more  of  the  feathers  than  the 
terminal  spot,  their  tips  becoming  lanceolate. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Practically  indistinguishable  from   first   winter 
dress  ;  the  edgings  narrower  but  deeper  in  color. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  moults  and  plumages  are  similar  to  those  of  the 
male,  females  being  somewhat  duller  and  more  heavily  spotted. 

ICTERID^l 

The  peculiarities  of  moult  in  this  Family  will  be  explained 
under  each  species,  most  of  them  being  subject  to  a  complete 
postjuvenal  moult  thereby  assuming  plumage  practically  adult, 
like  M.  ater,  S.  magna,  S.  carolinus,  Q.  quiscula  and  its  races. 
A  complete  semiannual  or  double  moult  is  peculiar  to  D. 
oryzivorus,  while  /.  spurius  and  /.  galbula  undergo  a  limited 
first  prenuptial  moult  in  winter  which  is  not  repeated  a  second 
year. 

Dolichonyx  oryzivorus  (Linn.).     BOBOLINK 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Buff,  (plate  V,  fig.  1) 

2 .  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dull  brownish  black,  median  crown  stripe,  superciliary  line,  nuchal  band' 
and  edgings  of  the  other  feathers  of  back  and  wings  buff  deepest  on  nape  ; 
primaries,  their  coverts,  secondaries  and  alulae  tipped  with  grayish  white.  Be- 
low, rich  buff  paler  on  chin  and  faintly  flecked  on  sides  of  throat  with  clove - 
brown.  A  dusky  postocular  streak.  Bill  pinkish  buff,  clay-color  with  dusky 
tip  when  older.  Feet  clay-color  becoming  deep  Vandyke-brown. 

This  plumage  is  worn  but  a  short  time  and  the  postjuvenal 
moult  is  well  advanced  by  the  end  of  July  as  shown  by  four 
specimens  in  my  collection. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  July  which  involves  the  body  plumage,  tertiaries  and 
wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  157 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage,  but  darker  above  and  yellower  below,  a  rich  ochre 
or  maize-yellow  prevailing,  palest  on  chin  and  abdomen,  the  sides  of  the  breast 
and  flanks  and  under  tail  coverts  conspicuously  streaked  with  dull  black  veiled 
by  the  overlapping  feather  edges. 

The  relative  size  of  the  feathers  of  .this  plumage  and  their 
pattern  is  shown  on  plate  I,  where  the  feathers  of  a  September 
male  are  figured.  They  have  been  reproduced  much  darker 
than  their  pale  brown  color  would  indicate.  There  is  some 
variation  in  the  distribution  of  the  black  pattern  of  lateral  feath- 
ers of  the  ventral  tract  in  young  birds  and  this  may  be  seen 
on  plate  I,  figs.  1-6,  19-22. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a    complete   pre- 
nuptial  moult. 

Plumage  almost  wholly  black,  the  body  plumage  veiled  by  long  maize-yellow  feather 
tips.  The  nape  is  rich  ochre  and  the  scapularies  white,  the  inner  plumbeous, 
both  edged  with  olive-gray.  The  outer  primary  is  edged  with  white,  the  two 
adjacent  with  maize-yellow,  the  tertiaries,  greater  coverts  and  interscapularies 
with  wood-brown.  Rump  plumbeous,  upper  tail  coverts  white,  both  areas 
veiled  with  olive-gray  or  olive-buff.  Tail  tipped  with  olive-gray.  Bill  black. 

The  terminal  inch  of  the  webs  of  the  outer  primaries  is  paler 
as  if  the  black  color  had  not  extended  so  far,  but  the  borders 
are,  in  May,  less  abraided  than  are  many  of  these  feathers  when 
the  birds  pass  southward  in  September.  It  would  be  safe  to 
assume  a  prenuptial  moult  of  the  Bobolink  from  this  fact  alone 
and  a  bird  taken  March  i,  1886  (Amer.  Mus.  Nat  Hist.,  No. 
32783),  near  Corumba,  Brazil,  on  the  Bolivian  boundary,  proves 
it,  although  this  specimen  is  doubtless  an  adult.  I  have  also 
seen  several  caged  birds  which  have  undergone  a  complete  moult 
in  the  early  summer.  Spring  birds  reach  New  York  about  two 
months  after  this  moult  and  the  fugaceous  yellowish  feather  tips 
have  so  worn  away  (see  plate  I,  figs.  23-25,  28,  29)  that  the 
specimens  are  chiefly  black,  white  and  buff,  except  on  the  abdo- 
men, flanks  and  under  tail  coverts  where  the  tips  persist  longest. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  the  end  of  July.     Similar  to  first  winter 
plumage,  usually  whiter  below  especially  on  the  chin  and  middle 
of  the  abdomen,  and  above  with  richer  brown  edgings  especially 
of  the  tertiaries.    The  bill  becomes  clay  colored  or  purplish.   The 


158  DWIGHT 

chief  differential  character  is  however  the  presence  of  a  few  black 
feathers,  usually  yellow  tipped,  irregularly  scattered  on  the  chin 
and  breast.  A  specimen  from  Jamaica,  West  Indies,  September 
25th  (Amer.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.  No.  42134),  is  an  extreme  example 
with  numerous  black  and  mottled  feathers,  the  black  distributed 
irregularly,  varying  from  shaft  streaks  to  asymmetrical  blotches. 
As  these  feathers  all  show  wear  similar  to  those  adjacent,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  all  of  them  grow  at  the  postnuptial  moult. 
I  have  seen  a  few  autumnal  adults,  but  they  are  excessively  rare 
in  collections  and  their  rarity  is  largely  responsible  for  the  ignor- 
ance that  has  prevailed  regarding  the  normal  plumages  of  the 
Bobolink  which  conform  to  the  ordinary  laws  of  moult  and  are 
in  no  respect  unique. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  pre- 
nuptial  moult  in  midwinter.  Differs  inappreciably  from  first 
nuptial  dress,  but  it  is  probable  that  (as  in  other  species)  the 
yellow  edgings  diminish  with  age.  The  classic  Corumba  bird 
mentioned  above  and  discussed  at  p.  122  of  the  present  article, 
was  first  described  by  CHAPMAN  '90  and  later  figured  in  (Auk, 
X,  1893,  pp.  309—311,  pi.  vii.).  It  is  completing  a  perfectly 
normal  prenuptial  moult,  and  seems  to  be  an  adult,  because  a 
few  old  black  feathers  of  the  adult  winter  plumage  are  present  and 
the  whiteness  of  the  abdomen  indicates  the  fading  of  feathers  that 
are  nearly  white  over  this  area  in  adults  in  the  autumn.  At  all 
events  the  worn  and  faded  feathers  that  remain  on  this  specimen 
are  exactly  where  the  last  traces  of  moult  are  found  in  a  normal 
moult  not  only  of  this  species  but  of  all  Passerine  species  examined 
and  there  is  not  the  slightest  evidence  of  the  supposed  color 
change  to  black  without  moult  that  has  been  alleged. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  probably  the  moults  correspond 
to  those  of  the  male.  In  Juvenal  and  first  winter  plumage  the 
sexes  are  indistinguishable.  The  first  nuptial  is  no  doubt  ac- 
quired partially  at  least  by  a  prenuptial  moult,  judging  by  wear 
and  by  a  caged  female  examined  when  moulting  the  remiges,  the 
buff  being  paler  than  in  first  winter  dress.  The  adult  winter 
plumage  is  practically  indistinguishable  from  the  first  winter. 
The  adult  nuptial  is  similar  to  the  first  nuptial.  A  bird  seen  by 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF   NEW   YORK  159 

STONE  ('96,  p.  1 34),  has  assumed  some  black  feathers  on  the  lower 
parts  doubtless  at  the  prenuptial  moult  and  is  probably  an  un- 
usually vigorous  bird  approaching  the  plumage  of  the  male  as 
sometimes  occurs  in  other  species. 

Molothrus  ater  (Bodd.).     COWBIRD 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Olive-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  neck,  wings  and  tail,  dark  olive-brown,  the 
feathers  edged  with  pale  buff,  whitish  on  the  primaries.  Below,  dull  white, 
buffy  on  throat,  breast  and  flanks  much  streaked  with  olive-brown.  Chin 
white  or  yellowish.  Bill  and  feet  raw  umber-brown,  darkening  to  black  after 
postjuvenal  moult. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  post- 
juvenal moult  which  begins  about  September  first.     Unlike  the 
previous  plumage,  chiefly  black  instead  of  brown,  young  birds 
becoming  practically  indistinguishable  from  adults. 

Above  and  below,  lustrous  black  with  iridescent  green  and  purple  reflections. 
Head,  nape  and  throat  purplish  clove-brown.  Some  birds  show  faint  buffy 
edgings. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  which  shows 
very  little,  and  chiefly  in  the  paler  brown  of  the  head.      I  have 
seen  one  specimen  which   retains  a   large  part  of  the  Juvenal 
plumage  even  to  the  wing  quills  and  the  brown  feathers  are  ex- 
cessively worn  as  compared  with  the  black  ones,  acquired  at  the 
postjuvenal  moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  September.     Adults  are  not  distinguishable,  as 
a  rule,  from  young  birds  in  first  winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear  as  in    the 
young  bird. 

Female. — In  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  indistinguishable 
from  the  male.  Females  assume  a  mouse-gray  first  winter  plum- 
age by  a  complete  postjuvenal  moult  and  this,  modified  by  wear, 
is  the  first  nuptial  plumage.  All  later  plumages  are  similarly 
mouse-gray  with  indistinct  dusky  streaks. 


160  DWIGHT 

Agelaius  phoeniceus  (Linn.).     RED-WINGED  BLACKBIRD 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  wings,  tail,  and  lesser  coverts  (i.  e.,  the  so-called 
"shoulders")  dull  brownish  black  (no  red  at  this  stage),  the  feathers  edged 
with  buff,  palest  and  narrowest  on  primaries,  rectrices,  head  and  rump,  and 
richest  on  scapularies  and  secondaries.  Below  pinkish  buff,  ochraceous  on  the 
chin,  thickly  streaked  (except  on  the  chin)  with  brownish  black.  Obscure 
superciliary  line  ochraceous-buff.  Bill  and  feet  olive-brown,  black  when 
older. 

3.  FIRST   WINTER    PLUMAGE   acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
juvenal  moult  beginning  towards  the  end  of  August.      Resem- 
bles previous   dress,  the  general  effect  being  that  of  a  brown 
streaked  bird   the  black  being  heavily  veiled  by  brown  feather 
tips  and  mottled  orange  "shoulders"  are  acquired. 

Entire  plumage,  including  wings  and  tail,  greenish  black  much  veiled  with  buffy  and 
ferruginous  edgings,  palest  below  and  faint  or  absent  on  primaries  and  rectrices. 
Lesser  wing  coverts  ("shoulders")  dull  orpiment-orange  each  feather  with 
subterminal  bars  or  spots  of  black.  Median  coverts  rich  ochraceous  buff  usu- 
ally mottled  with  black  subterminal  areas  chiefly  on  the  inner  webs,  the  shafts 
usually  black. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  con- 
siderable birds  becoming  a  dull  brownish  black  by  loss  of  the 
feather  edgings  and  by  fading.    The  mottled  "  shoulder  patches  " 
are  characteristic  of  young  birds,  the  amount  of  orange  varying 
greatly.     The  wings  and  tail  show  marked  wear. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  in  mid-August,  young  and  old  becom- 
ing practically  indistinguishable. 

Lustrous  greenish  black,  feathers  of  head  and  back,  greater  wing  coverts  and  ter- 
tiaries  edged  more  or  less  (according  to  the  individual)  with  buff  and  ferrugin- 
ous brown.  Below,  the  edgings  are  paler  or  absent.  The  bright  scarlet-ver- 
milion "shoulders"  are  acquired  together  with  the  rich  ochraceous  buff 
median  coverts. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which   pro- 
duces  less   marked  effects  than  in  the  young  birds.     The  ex- 
posed edges  of  the  buff  median  coverts  fade  to  a  dull  white.     The 
more  resistant  nature  of  adult  feathers   is   strikingly   shown  by 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  1(>1 

this  species,  the  worn  and  faded  remiges  and  rectrices  of  young 
birds  contrasting  sharply  with  those  of  adults. 

l:cmalc. — In  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  females  differ 
little  from  males,  the  Juvenal  dress  perhaps  averaging  browner 
above  with  less  buff  below  and  the  chin  narrowly  streaked.  The 
first  winter  plumage  is  acquired  by  a  complete  postjuvenal  moult 
as  in  the  male,  from  which  the  female  now  differs  widely  being 
brown  and  broadly  streaked.  The  first  winter  plumage  is 
hardly  distinguishable  from  the  adult  winter  and  passes  into 
the  first  nuptial  by  wear  which  produces  a  black  and  white 
streaked  bird,  brown  above.  A  pinkish  or  salmon  tinge  is  often 
found  in  females  in  any  of  these  plumages  especially  about  the 
chin  and  head  and  an  orange  or  crimson  tinge  may  show  on  the 
"shoulders"  of  the  older  birds. 


Sturnella  magna  (Linn.).     MEADOW  LARK 

1.  NATAL  Dowx.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  clove-brown,  the  feathers  broadly  edged  with  buff  palest  on  the  nape,  those 
of  the  back  having  double  subapical  spots  of  russet.  Median  crown  stripe,  and 
superciliary  line  cream- buff.  Wings  sepia-brown,  the  primaries  and  secondaries 
obscurely  barred  on  the  outer  web  with  darker  brown  and  edged  with  pale 
vinaceous  cinnamon  shading  to  white  on  the  first  primary,  the  tertiaries  clove- 
brown  broadly  edged  with  buff  and  having  a  row  of  partly  confluent  vinaceous 
cinnamon  spots  on  either  side  of  their  shafts  producing  a  barred  effect  (the  pat- 
tern of  a  tertiary  of  this  plumage  contrasted  with  one  of  the  first  winter  dress  is 
shown  on  plate  II,  figs.  15  and  16),  the  rest  of  the  wing  coverts  obscurely 
mottled  with  light  and  dark  browns  and  edged  with  buff,  the  alulae  with  white. 
The  three  outer  pairs  of  rectrices  are  white  with  a  faint  dusky  subapical  shaft - 
streak,  the  next  pair  largely  white  and  the  others  hair-brown  confluently  barred 
with  clove-brown  and  whitish  edged.  Below,  including  "edge  of  wing"  pale 
canary-yellow,  nearly  white  on  the  chin,  the  sides  of  throat,  breast,  flanks,  cris- 
sum  and  tibiae  washed  with  pinkish  buff,  streaked  and  spotted  with  brownish 
black  which  forms  a  pectoral  band.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former 
becoming  slaty,  the  latter  dull  clay  color. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired   by   a   complete   post- 
juvenal moult  beginning  about  September  first  after  the  Juvenal 
dress  has  been  worn  a  long  time,  young  birds  and  old  becoming 
practically  indistinguishable. 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Aug.  28,  1900 — n. 


162  DWIGHT 

Above,  similar  to  the  previous  plumage,  but  all  the  browns  even  to  the  wing  and 
tail  quills  much  darker,  often  black,  and  distinct  barring  rather  than  mottling, 
the  rule.  The  feathers  of  the  back  have  large  single  subapical  spots  of  rich 
Mar's-brown  crossed  by  two  faint  dusky  bars,  and  the  primary  edgings  are 
usually  grayer.  Below,  a  rich  lemon -yellow  (including  the  chin  and  a  sup- 
raorbital  dash)  veiled  with  buff  edgings  and  a  black  pectoral  crescent  is 
acquired  completely  veiled  with  deep  buff  and  ashy  edgings.  The  streakings 
below  are  heavier  and  darker,  many  of  the  feathers  with  subapical  russet  spots 
and  the  bufify  wash  on  the  sides  is  deeper  and  pinker. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  exces- 
sive by  the  end  of  the  breeding  season  producing  a  dingy  brown 
and    white    appearance    above  with    yellow  and   black    below. 
The  subapical  spots  of  the  feathers  of  the  back  are  almost  en- 
tirely lost  by  abrasion  and  the  same  force  scallops  out  the  light 
portions  of  the  tertiaries,  wing  coverts  and  tail.     This  is  shown 
on  plate  II,  figs.  16  and  17.     Neither  the  yellow  nor  the  black 
below  fades  very  appreciably,  but  the  shining  denuded  shafts  of 
the  feathers  project  far  beyond  the  abraided  barbs.     The  yellow 
seems  even  to  be  intensified  by  the  loss  of  paler  barbules. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial   moult  in    September.     Usually  indistinguishable   from 
first  winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — In  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  the  sexes  are 
indistinguishable.  Later  the  female  differs  only  in  slightly  duller 
colors  and  a  more  restricted  black  area  on  the  throat.  The 
moults  are  exactly  the  same  as  in  the  male. 


Icterus  spurius  (Linn.).     ORCHARD  ORIOLE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  neck,  pale  grayish  olive-green,  buffy  on  rump. 
Below,  pale  sulphur-yellow.  Wings  pale  clove-brown,  the  primaries  and  sec- 
ondaries narrowly  edged  with  dull  white,  the  median  and  greater  wing  coverts 
with  pale  buff  forming  two  indistinct  wing  bands.  Tail  yellowish  olive-green. 
Bill  pinkish  buff,  becoming  deep  wood-brown,  the  upper  mandible  slaty.  Feet 
olive-gray,  blackish  when  older. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  163 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,  beginning  the  end  of  July,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but  not  usually  the  rest  of  the  wings 
nor  the  tail. 

Differs  little  from  the  previous  plumage,  a  brighter  olive-green  above  and  canary - 
yellow  below,  the  edgings  of  the  wing  coverts  paler. 

An  unfortunate  dearth  of  specimens  in  this  greenish  plumage 
makes  it  impossible  for  me  to  say  whether  any  precocious  indi- 
viduals, perhaps  of  the  first  brood,  acquire  tails  mottled  with 
black  or  assume  black  or  chestnut  feathers  about  the  wings  or 
body.  It  is  almost  certain,  judging  by  analogy  of  moult  and 
by  plumage  that  some  do,  as  is  the  case  apparently  in  other 
species.  Observations  made  on  caged  birds  by  Dr.  BACHMAN 
('39)  also  point  to  this  probability,  for  he  states  that  a  young 
bird  of  a  first  brood  assumed  the  black  throat  by  moult  in 
November,  and  the  full  black  and  chestnut  plumage  the  fol- 
lowing August,  while  a  bird  of  a  second  brood  assumed  a 
new  green  plumage  in  January,  the  black  throat  the  follow- 
ing August  and  the  chestnut  and  black  plumage  in  January, 
wholly  by  moult.  This  evidence,  although  the  unreliable  testi- 
mony of  caged  birds,  is  at  least  in  confirmation  of  the  sequence 
of  the  plumages  and  indicates  that  a  year  is  sufficient  for  the 
acquisition  of  the  adult  dress. 

The  only  bird  I  have  seen  showing  prenuptial  moult  is  one 
taken  in  Nicaragua,  February  23d  (U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  No.  91034), 
which  has  new  black  feathers  coming  in  on  the  throat  and  sides 
of  the  head  and  green  ones  on  the  forehead  and  crown,  as 
already  referred  to  by  Stone  ('96,  p.  137).  There  are  a  few  old 
black  feathers  on  the  throat,  but  it  seems  likely  that  these,  the 
worn  mottled  tail  and  a  few  chestnut  feathers  on  the  throat  and 
under  tail  coverts  may  represent  individual  precocity  in  a  pre- 
viously acquired  first  winter  plumage,  for  the  brown  Juvenal 
primary  coverts  indicate  a  young  bird.  I  have  seen  several 
autumnal  birds  in  first  winter  dress  with  a  few  black  feathers  on 
the  throat,  although  they  had  plain  greenish  tails.  Without  a 
better  series  of  birds  in  first  winter  dress  than  is  now  available 
the  relation  of  moults  and  plumages  cannot  be  fully  solved,  but 


164  DWIGHT 

that  moult  will  explain  everything,  I  have  not  the  slightest 
doubt.  In  birds  that  suffer  so  great  wear,  it  is  well  nigh  impos- 
sible to  estimate  the  age  of  a  feather  from  the  amount  of  abrasion, 
especially  when  the  color  is  black. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  apparently  involves  chiefly  the  throat  and  head  and 
perhaps  the  tail.     The  black  throat  is  present  in  most  spring 
specimens,  in  some  it  is  lacking  or  represented  by  a  few  black 
feathers.     Greenish  tails  are  regularly  found  with  such  birds  ; 
those  with  chestnut  feathers  have  tails  mottled  with  black,  these 
signs  of  individual  vigor  or  precocity  going  together  and  consid- 
erable individual  variation  being  apparent.     The  bill  becomes 
slate-gray.    All  of  the  plumage  is  so  worn  when  the  birds  arrive 
from  the  south  that  it  is  impossible  to  estimate  how  long  the  in- 
dividual feathers  have  been  subjected  to  wear,  which  seems  to 
be  considerable.     The  primary  coverts,   a  key  to  young  birds, 
are  always  brownish  unless  they  have  been  partly  renewed  by 
black,  probably  at  the  postjuvenal  moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  apparently  after  the  birds  have  migrated  south 
judging  by  the  freshness  of  extra-limital  specimens  and  the  total 
absence  of  local   specimens.      Contrary  to   general   belief  it  is 
likely  that  the  chestnut  and  black  plumage  is   assumed  at   this 
moult.     Several  specimens  from  Guatemala  without  other  data 
show  the  end  of  a  postnuptial  moult  from  the  greenish  into  the 
chestnut  dress,  some  of  the  new  feathers  still  with  sheaths  and 
the  old  worn  greenish  nuptial  ones  still  in  place  among  the  au- 
riculars  and  elsewhere.     Both  the  black  and  the  chestnut  feathers 
are  broadly  edged  with  greenish  buff  or  brown,  which  probably 
diminishes  in  amount  with  age  giving  a  less  veiled  appearance, 
in  older  adults. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
the  edgings  are  largely  lost.     There  is  no  prenuptial  moult  as 
in  the  young  bird.     The  frequency  of  a  few  greenish  feathers  on 
breeding  birds  indicates  their  liability  to  be  left  over  even  at  the 
first  postnuptial  moult  which  is  usually  so  complete  although  it 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  165 

is  possible  such  feathers  developed  of  a  greenish  color  at  this 
season.  There  is  not  the  slightest  reason  for  believing  in  an  ab- 
normal color  change  without  moult  in  this  species  even  if  I  am 
wrong  in  concluding  the  greenish  plumage  is  worn  but  one  sum- 
mer. It  may  possibly  be  that  no  chestnut  or  black  is  assumed 
by  any  birds  until  the  first  postnuptial  moult  and  the  second 
winter  plumage  is  still  partly  greenish  with  the  mottled  tails  that 
give  rise  to  the  unwarrantable  idea  of  color  redistributing  itself 
in  old  feathers,  but  until  greenish  autumnal  adults  (as  determined 
by  cranial  characters)  having  black  throats,  mottled  tails,  and. 
chestnut  scattered  on  the  abdomen  are  forthcoming,  there  is  no 
good  reason  for  supposing  that  more  than  a  twelve-month,  as  in 
other  species,  is  required  to  attain  adult  dress. 

Female. — The  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  are  identical 
with  those  of  the  male.  Later  the  female  undergoes  the  same 
moults  as  the  male,  the  one  prenuptial  which  occurs  being  very 
limited  or  even  suppressed.  Females  always  remain  in  a  green- 
ish dress  like  the  male  first  winter  plumage  or  at  most  assume, 
when  fully  adult,  a  few  black  feathers  on  the  throat. 

Icterus  galbula  (Linn.).     BALTIMORE  ORIOLE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  olive-brown,  slightly  orange  tinged,  brightest  on  head  and  upper  tail  coverts. 
Wings  clove-brown,  the  primaries  narrowly,  the  tertiaries  broadly  edged  with 
dull  white,  two  wing  bands  at  tips  of  greater  and  median  coverts  pale  buff.  A 
tertiary  is  figured  on  plate  II,  fig.  8.  Tail  chiefly  gallstone-yellow,  centrally 
much  darker  and  brownish.  Below,  including  "  edge  of  wing  "  ochre-yellow, 
sometimes  orange  with  ochraceous  tinge,  palest  on  chin  and  middle  of  abdomen, 
brightest  on  breast  and  crissum.  Bill  pinkish  buff,  becoming  slate-gray  with 
age.  Feet  olive-gray,  black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  early  in  July  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  dull  orange  brown  above  and  much  brighter  orange 
below,  although  lacking  the  black  areas  of  the  adult.  The  greater  and  median 
wing  coverts  become  dull  black,  white  tipped,  the  latter  and  the  lesser  coverts 


166  DWIGHT 

orange    tinged.     There  is  much  individual  variation   in  the  intensity  of  the 
orange  everywhere. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves   most  of  the  plumage   except   only   the 
primaries,  their  coverts,  and  the  secondaries.     The  tide  of  moult 
often   passes   by  wing   coverts,  alulae,  tertiaries  or  in  fact  any 
feathers  which  often  remain  here  and  there  worn  and  in  sharp 
contrast  to   new  feathers  adjacent,  and  the  outer  wing  coverts 
are  frequently  left  over  and  sometimes  a  rectrix  or  two.     The 
full  orange  and  black  body  plumage  is  assumed  at  this  moult, 
the  tertiaries  and  wing  coverts  being  broadly  edged  with  white, 
and   the   black   and   yellow   tail   is   acquired.      The    orange   is 
usually  paler  than  in  adults  and  the  black  feathers  of  the  back 
are  generally  edged  with  orange.     There  is  a  Panama  bird  (Am. 
Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  No.  41939)  showing  the  prenuptial  moult  in 
progress  on  the  back,  forehead,  occiput,  sides  of  head  and  breast, 
throat  and  chin,  upper  and  under  tail  coverts,  the  two  central 
rectrices  and  the  greater  wing  coverts  ;  and  a  Guatemala  specimen 
(Bost.  Soc.   Nat.    Hist.)  also  without  date  shows  moult  on  the 
head.     Birds  in  this  dress  may  be  distinguished  from  adults  by 
the  worn  brownish  primaries  in  contrast  to  the  new  black,  white 
edged  tertiaries.     Plate  II,  figs.  9  and   10  shows  the  difference 
between  a  first  nuptial  tertiary  which  is  new  grown  and  an  adult 
nuptial   tertiary   which   is   really   a  worn   adult   winter  feather. 
Similar   differences  in   the  rectrix  next  to  the  middle  pair  are 
shown  by  figs.  11  and  12,  a  large  amount  of  black  belonging  to 
the  adult  feather.     I   have  seen  one  young  bird  in  this  plumage 
with  the  orange  mostly  replaced  by  blood-red  which  invades 
even  the  wing  coverts  and  the  black  nape. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July,  the  birds  usually  disappearing  soon  after. 
Two  males  in  my  collection  (J.   Dwight,  Jr.,  No.  6883,  August 
26th,  and  No.  6885,  September' 1 3th,  Long  Island,  New  York), 
are  in  fresh  winter  dress  without  trace   of  their  recent  moult. 
Different  from  first  winter  dress,  jet  black  wing  quills  and  central 
rectrices  being  assumed  with  rich  orange  and  black  body  plum- 
age.    The  feathers  of  the  back  are  narrowly  edged  with  dull 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  167 

orange  (absent  in  older  birds)  which  also  suffuses  the  median 
and  lesser  coverts.  The  greater  coverts,  secondaries  and  terti- 
aries  are  broadly  edged  with  white.  The  variable  black  area  of 
the  throat  seems  to  increase  in  older  birds. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
the  white  wing  edgings  are  largely  lost  (see  plate  II,  fig.  10). 
Yellow  barbules  are  lost  from  the  orange  barbs  so  that  the  color 
is  perhaps  intensified  in  some  cases. 

Female, — The  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  are  the  same 
as  in  the  male  and  subsequent  moults  are  the  same  but  limited 
in  extent  at  the  first  prenuptial  so  that  little  or  no  black  is  as- 
sumed on  the  chin,  back  and  tail.  The  black  on  the  chin  of  fe- 
males is  always  very  restricted  in  extent. 

Scolecophagus  carolinus  (Mull.).     RUSTY  BLACKBIRD 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Whole  plumage  slate-color  washed  on  back  and  throat  with  sepia-brown.  Tail 
darker  with  greenish  reflections.  Tertiaries  and  wing  coverts  edged  with  Mar's- 
brown.  Bill  and  feet  seal-brown,  black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete    post- 
juvenal   moult  beginning  in  eastern  Canada,  the  end  of  July, 
young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Everywhere  lustrous  greenish  black  more  or  less  veiled  above  with  Mar's-brown, 
below  with  wood -brown.  The  wings  and  tail  are  without  edgings. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
the  veiling  is  almost  or  completely  lost,  birds  becoming  entirely 
greenish  or  purplish  black. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  the  middle  of  July.      Not  appreciably 
different  from  first  winter  plumage,  the  veiling  probably  less  the 
older  a  bird  grows. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female, — The  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  are  the  same 
as  in  the  male.  By  a  complete  postjuvenal  moult  the  first  winter 


168  DWIGHT 

plumage  is  assumed  which  is  very  like  the  Juvenal  but  with 
much  Mar's-brown  above  chiefly  on  the  head  and  strongly 
washed  below  with  wood-brown,  these  colors  edging  slaty 
feathers  ;  the  lores  and  auriculars  are  dull  black  in  contrast. 
The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  acquired  by  wear  and  later  plum- 
ages vary  little  from  the  first  winter. 

Quiscalus  quiscula  (Linn.).     PURPLE  CRACKLE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Whole  plumage  dull  clove-brown,  the  body  feathers  often  very  faintly  edged  with 
paler  brown.  Tail  darker  with  purplish  tints.  Bill  and  feet  sepia-brown, 
black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a   complete  post- 
juvenal  moult  early  in  August. 

The  iridescent  black  dress  is  acquired,  old  and  young  becoming  indistinguishable. 

Some  birds  assume  metallic  green  heads  and  some  blue,  while 
the  backs  are  of  all  colors  and  patterns  so  that  age  can  have 
nothing  to  do  with  the  varied  colors  of  this  species. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  which  pro- 
duces no  noticeable  effect  as  is  regularly  the  case  with  iridescent 
plumages. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  the  first  of  August.      Indistinguishable 
from  first  winter. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in    the 
young  bird. 

Female. — In  Juvenal  dress  the  female  is  perhaps  paler  below 
than  is  the  male  and  usually  indistinctly  streaked.  There  is  a 
complete  postjuvenal  moult  and  later  plumages  differ  from  the 
male  only  in  being  much  duller  and  browner  with  few  metallic 
reflections.  They  also  show  more  wear. 

Quiscalus  quiscula  seneus  (Ridgw.).     BRONZED  CRACKLE 

Plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of  Q.  quiscula,  the 
two  forms  in  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  being  practically 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  169 

indistinguishable.     The  bronzed  back  is  assumed  at  the  post- 
juvenal  moult,  old  and  young  becoming  indistinguishable. 

FRINGILLID^I 

The  types  of  moult  in  this  large  Family  are  almost  as  numer- 
ous as  the  species.  Many  moult  twice  every  year,  the  prenup- 
tial  being  complete  in  at  least  one  species,  A.  caudacutus,  and 
partial  in  many,  producing  a  large  variety  of  curiously  mixed 
plumages.  P..  domesticus,  A.  s.  passerinus,  A.  licnslowi  (prob- 
ably), A.  inaritimns,  C.  grammacus,  M.  fasciata,  C.  cardinalis 
and  probably  some  others  undergo  a  complete  postjuvenal  moult 
more  or  less  regularly.  Several  species  pass  their  first  breeding 
season  in  the  immature  dress  assumed  at  the  postjuvenal  moult, 
exchanging  it  for  the  full  adult  dress  at  the  first  postnuptial  moult. 
The  peculiarities  of  moult  and  wear,  which  in  some  species  pro- 
duce most  startling  changes  in  their  apparent  color  and  in  the 
shape  of  the  feathers,  will  be  discussed  under  the  respective 
species.  The  apparent  brightening  of  color  in  some  of  the 
Finches  and  the  Crossbills  is  also  explained  under  each  species. 

Coccothraustes  vespertinus  (Coop.).     EVENING  GROSBEAK 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  pale  bistre,  greenish  tinged  on  back,  wood  brown  on  rump  and  forehead. 
Wings  black  narrowly  edged  with  white  ;  the  tertiaries  pale  drab,  their  inner 
borders  dull  black  ;  two  or  three  inner  secondaries  terminally  dull  white  with 
dingy  black  apical  blotches  ;  inner  greater  coverts  dull  white  on  outer  webs  and 
edged  with  canary-yellow.  Tail  black.  Below,  pale  cinnamon  or  wood-brown, 
merging  into  canary-yellow  on  throat  and  chin.  Rictal  and  submalar  streaks 
dusky.  "  Lining  of  wings  "  canary-yellow.  Under  tail  coverts  white.  Bill 
and  feet  in  dried  specimen  dull  brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  August  in  British  Columbia  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  but  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  wing  coverts  are 
renewed  but  not  usually  the  tertiaries. 

Bright  olive-yellow  washed  with  rich  olive-brown,  deepest  about  the  head ;  crown 
and  nape  black,  forehead,  superciliary  stripe,  rump  and  under  tail  coverts 


170  D  WIGHT 

lemon-yellow.      Young  may  be  distinguished  usually  by  the  dusky  inner  margins 
of  the  tertiaries  but  differ  very  little  from  adults. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  removes 
much  of  the  wing  edgings.     Browner  more  worn  remiges  and 
especially  primary  coverts  with  distinct  edgings  distinguish  young 
birds. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Differs  little  from  first  winter  dress,  but  fewer 
edgings,  and  blacker  primaries  with  their  coverts  and  the  ter- 
tiaries white. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear. 

Female. — The  moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male  but  the  colors  and  markings  are  quite  different.  The 
sexes  are  similar  in  Juvenal  plumage.  In  first  winter  dress 
females  are  deep  mouse-gray  about  the  head,  paler  on  the  back 
and  grayish  wood-brown  on  the  rump.  The  primaries  have  a 
white  spot  at  their  bases  and  the  secondaries  and  tertiaries  are 
wholly  drab-gray  with  dull  black  on  the  inner  webs.  The  tail 
has  the  inner  webs  of  all  the  rectrices  white  and  the  upper  tail 
coverts  have  white  spots.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  assumed 
by  wear  and  the  adult  winter  dress  by  a  complete  moult,  this 
plumage  being  rather  grayer  than  that  of  the  first  winter. 

Pinicola  enucleator  (Linn.).     PINE  GROSBEAK 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult 

Above,  bistre,  tinged  on  crown  and  rump  with  dull  ochre-yellow.  Wings  and  tail 
clove-brown  with  pale  buff  edgings  sometimes  whitish  especially  on  tertiaries 
and  tail.  Wing  bands  indistinct,  pale  buff.  Below,  hair-brown  or  drab,  washed, 
especially  on  breast  and  sides,  with  ochraceous,  the  feather  edgings  wood- 
brown.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish  buff  becoming  darker  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult   beginning  early  in  September  in  eastern  Canada  which 
involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of 
the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  chiefly  pale  olive-brown,  sometimes  with  reddish  or  yellowish  tinge 
veiled  with  smoke-gray  edgings,  the  crown,  auriculars,  rump  and  upper  tail 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  171 

coverts  ochre  to  gallstone-yellow,  often  orange,  the  feathers  dark  centrally, 
usually  a  sprinkling  of  brick-red  feathers  and  sometimes  the  yellows  completely 
replaced  by  red,  occasionally  carmine.  Below  smoke-gray,  the  breast  and 
throat  usually  with  some  red  and  yellow  not  very  pronounced.  Wing  coverts 
tipped  with  white  forming  two  distinct  bands  the  lesser  coverts  plumbeous  and 
ochre  tinged. 

4.  FIRST   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear,  apparently 
brightening  and  assuming  a  golden  sheen,  this  optical  effect  be- 
ing due  to  loss  of  barbules,  a  similar  loss  taking  place  in  Car- 
podacus  purpurcus,  under  which  species  a  full  explanation  is  given. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     The  pinkish  plumage  is  assumed  and  young  and 
old  become  indistinguishable. 

The  back   is  clove-brown  with  olive-gray  edgings,   elsewhere  geranium-red,   the 
wing  bands  and  even  primary  edgings  tinged  with  geranium-pink. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear  as  in  the 
young   bird,  which  apparently  intensifies  the  color  by  a  gradual 
loss  of  the  distal  barbules  of  each  feather. 

Female. — Plumages  and  moults  are  similar  to  those  of  the 
male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  sexes  are  practically  indistin- 
guishable. In  first  winter  plumage  duller  than  the  correspond- 
ing dress  of  the  male  ;  above,  olive-brown  with  smoke-gray 
edgings,  the  crown  and  rump  ochre  or  dull  olive-yellow,  entirely 
smoke-gray  below.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  acquired  by 
wear.  The  adult  winter  plumage  is  similar  to  male  first  winter, 
but  duller  with  only  a  tinge  of  red  at  most  on  crown,  rump  or 
breast.  The  adult  nuptial  plumage  is  acquired  by  wear. 


Passer  domesticus  (Linn.).     ENGLISH  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  hair-brown  somewhat  buffy,  wings  and  tail  slightly  darker,  and  streaked 
broadly  with  clove-brown  on  the  back  ;  secondaries,  tertiaries  and  wing  coverts 
edged  with  wood-brown.  Below,  mouse-gray  darkest  across  jugulum  and  on 
the  sides,  the  chin  and  mid-abdomen  nearly  white.  A  dusky  postocular  stripe. 
Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former  becoming  dusky  and  black  before  spring, 
and  the  latter  sepia-brown. 


172  DWIGHT 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postju ve- 
nal moult  beginning  the  end  of  August. 

Unlike  previous  plumage,  the  black  chin  and  throat  patch  being  assumed.  Pileum, 
rump  and  upper  tail  coverts  smoke-gray,  the  feathers  brownish  edged  and  dusky 
basally.  The  back  streaked  with  black  each  feather  partly  Mar's-brown  and 
edged  with  buff.  Below,  dull  white  tinged  with  French-gray  on  throat  and 
sides,  the  feather  tips  with  buffy  wash,  the  shafts  faintly  grayish  ;  the  chin  and 
throat,  loral  and  postocular  stripe,  black  veiled  with  grayish  or  buffy  edgings  ; 
sides  of  chin  and  throat  and  mid-abdomen  nearly  white  ;  auriculars  olive  gray  ; 
posterior  part  of  superciliary  line,  postauricular  and  nuchal  regions  chestnut 
veiled  with  buff  edgings.  Wings  and  tail  dull  black  edged  with  pale  cinnamon, 
rich  chestnut  on  the  greater  and  lesser  coverts,  the  median  coverts  white,  buff 
edged  forming  a  wing  band. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  brings 
the  blacks,  chestnuts  and  grays  into  prominence  by  loss  of  the 
veiling  feather  edgings,  and  the  buff  wash  is  lost.     The  wing 
bands,     sides    of    throat    and     abdomen    become    noticeably 
whiter. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  the  end  of  August.     Differs  very  little 
from  first  winter  dress,  the  black  of  the  throat  usually  more  ex- 
tensive and  the  buff  less  evident.     The  crown  is  usually  grayer 
and  the  median  coverts  whiter. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as   in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — In  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  females  are  in- 
distinguishable from  males.  The  first  winter  plumage  is  acquired 
by  a  complete  moult,  and  is  similar  above  to  that  of  the  male,  more 
washed  with  buff  below  and  without  the  black  throat  and  chest- 
nut postauricular  patches.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  acquired 
by  wear,  the  buff  being  largely  lost  and  later  plumages  differ 
very  little  from  each  other,  the  only  renewal  being  at  the  post- 
nuptial moult. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  whether  this  species  on  its 
"native  heath"  goes  through  the  same  sequence  of  plumages 
and  moults  although  there  is  no  reason  for  supposing  them  to 
have  been  modified  through  acclimatization  since  it  was  imported 
into  this  country. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF   NEW  YORK  173 

Carpodacus  purpureus  (Gmel.).  PURPLE  FINCH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 
Plate  IV,  fig.  1  shows  a  juvenal  plumage  crown  feather. 

Above,  wood-brown,  broadly  streaked  with  olive-brown  and  showing  whitish  streaks 
if  the  feathers  be  disarranged  so  as  to  expose  a  lighter  portion.  Below,  dull 
white  streaked  with  paler  olive-brown,  least  on  the  chin,  throat  and  middle  of 
abdomen  and  crissum,  the  last  two  areas  often  unmarked.  An  indistinct  whitish 
.  superciliary  line.  Wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown,  edged  with  pale  buff 
deepest  and  broadest  on  tertiaries  and  wing  coverts.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff, 
sepia-brown  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  the  end  of  August,  which  involves  the   body 
plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Differs  in  general  effect  very  little  from  the  last,  but  the  streaks  are  bolder,  the 
brown  usually  with  a  greenish  yellow  tinge  merging  into  the  buffy  edgings. 

Plate  IV,  fig".  2  shows  a  crown  feather  of  this  plumage  newly 
grown  ;  fig.  3,  a  similar  feather  after  about  eight  months  of  wear. 
When  to  apply  the  term  first  nuptial  to  this  feather  is  a  matter 
not  easy  to  determine. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
most  of  the  buffy  tints  are   lost,  the  edgings   becoming  whitish. 
Males  are  brown  streaked  and  indistinguishable  from  females  in 
most  cases. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  early  in  August  all  males  assuming  the 
pink  plumage. 

Above,  pale  geranium-red  (often  carmine  or  brick-red),  hoary  on  the  pileum  and 
nape,  the  feathers  of  the  back  with  dusky  shaft  lines  and  broad  greenish  buff 
edgings.  Below,  a  hoary  geranium-pink  blending  into  white  on  abdomen  and 
crissum,  the  flanks  buffy  with  a  few  dusky  streaks.  Wings  and  tail  clove-brown 
the  edgings  tinged  with  pale  brick-red. 

Young  and  old  now  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

Plate  VII,  fig.  1  represents  a  crown  feather  of  this  plumage 
already  showing  wear  which  finally  produces  a  feather  like  that 
seen  as  fig.  2,  the  adult  nuptial  dress. 


174  DWIGHT 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  pro- 
duces a  plumage  largely  bright  rosy  carmine  decidedly  brighter 
to  the  eye  than  the  winter  dress.  The  explanation  of  this  evi- 
dent color  change  is,  however,  very  simple.  There  is  no  pig- 
mentary change,  the  brightening  being  wholly  an  optical  delu- 
sion. Under  a  glass  of  even  moderate  power  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  whitish  barbules  of  the  reddish  feathers  of  the  winter  dress 
especially  of  the  head  and  throat  have  worn  away,  leaving  the 
resistant  carmine  barbs  bare  and  glistening.  The  remaining  bar- 
bules show  as  hoary  spots  and  in  winter  plumage,  of  course,  the 
whole  effect  is  hoary.  This  explanation,  although  at  variance 
with  that  offered  by  other  writers  is  unquestionably  the  correct 
one,  and  plate  VII,  figs.  1  and  2  show  the  change  unmistaka- 
bly. The  bases  of  the  feathers  of  this  species  are  dusky,  and 
often  show  when  the  plumage  is  much  worn  or  even  disarranged. 
Wear  is  considerable  by  the  end  of  the  breeding  season  and  loss 
of  edgings  helps  intensify  the  reddish  tints. 

In  captivity  pink  adults  assume  golden  or  bronzed  feathers  at 
their  first  moult,  never  reassuming  the  pink  dress.  It  is  prob- 
able that  some  ingredient  of  their  food  when  in  the  wild  state 
is  lacking  and  a  deficiency  of  pigment  results. 

Female. — In  natal  down,  juvenal,  first  winter  and  first  nuptial 
plumages  indistinguishable  from  the  male  and  later  plumages 
are  brown  streaked  like  the  immature  male.  The  moults  cor- 
respond to  those  of  the  male. 

Loxia  curvirostra  minor  (Brehm).     AMERICAN  CROSSBILL 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult 

Above,  streaked  with  olive-brown,  the  feathers  with  whitish  edgings,  an  olive-green 
tinge  on  the  back  and  pale  buff  on  the  rump.  Wings  and  tail  clove-brown  the 
feathers  faintly  edged  with  pale  buff  sometimes  greenish  tinged.  Below,  dull 
grayish  white  thickly  streaked  with  olive-brown.  Bill  and  feet  olive-gray, 
black  when  older.  The  mandibles  do  not  cross  at  first  but  in  about  three  weeks 
deflect  as  they  grow  to  the  right  or  left  indifferently. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  but  neither  the  wings 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  175 

nor  the  tail.  Birds  in  considerably  worn  ju venal  dress  taken  in 
New  Brunswick,  Canada,  June  29th,  July  2ist  and  July  23d, 
show  a  few  new  feathers  of  this  plumage. 

Everywhere  a  mottled  mixture  of  bright  yellows,  greens  and  reds,  the  fonrer  pre- 
dominating and  the  reds  dull,  but  individual  variation  is  great.  The  colors 
are  brightest  on  the  head,  rump,  throat  and  sides  of  abdomen.  The  posterior 
part  of  the  abdomen  and  under  tail  coverts  may  be  red  tinged  or  yellowish 
or  they  may  fail  to  moult  and  remain  brown  streaked. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE   acquired    by    wear   which    is 
marked  by  midsummer  producing  through  loss  of  grayish  bar- 
bules  a  brightening  of  the  whole  plumage,  as  already  explained 
under  Carpodacus  purpureus.     A  worn  reddish  breast  feather  of 
this  plumage  is  shown   on   plate  VII,  fig.  4.     In  a  year  the 
feather  (fig.  3)  which  actually  grew  beside  this  one  would  also 
lose  its  barbules  and  appear  a  brighter  red,  like  fig.  4. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  September.     The  brick-red  body  plumage  with 
vermilion  rump  is  acquired  at  this  moult  as  shown  by  a  speci- 
men taken  in  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  October  i6th  which  has 
renewed  about  three  quarter  of  the  mottled  dress.     Plate  VII, 
fig.  3,  represents  a  new  feather  that  had  not  lost  its  sheath  and 
was  situated  next  to  the  worn  one  represented  by  fig.  4.     It 
seems  probable  that  an  entirely  red  plumage  is  not  always  fully 
acquired  until  the  second  postnuptial  moult.     A  reddish  tinge 
is  observable  in  the  faint  edgings  of  wings  and  tail. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  through 
loss  of  barbules  produces  coppery  and  rosy  reflections,  to  the  eye, 
brighter  than  those  of  the  previous  plumage. 

Female. — In  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  indistinguish- 
able from  males.  The  first  winter  plumage  acquired  by  a 
partial  postjuvenal  moult  which  does  not  include  the  wings  nor 
the  tail  is  olive-buff  indistinctly  mottled  or  streaked  with  olive 
brown  ;  the  rump  bright  olive-yellow.  The  first  nuptial  plum- 
age is  acquired  by  wear  producing  little  change.  The  adult 
winter  plumage  varies  little  from  the  first  winter,  the  rump  per- 
haps brighter  and  the  breast  tinged  with  bright  olive-yellow. 
Old  birds  sometimes  show  dull  red  tints  on  these  areas,  but  the 


176  D  WIGHT 

brightest  adults  are  greenish  yellow  as  compared  with  the  dullest 
young  males  which  are  orange  tinged. 

Of  68  specimens  of  both  sexes  in  my  collection,  the  upper 
mandible  crosses  to  the  right  in  38  and  to  the  left  in  30. 


Loxia  leucoptera  Gmel.     WHITE-WINGED  CROSSBILL 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Whole  plumage  dull  grayish  white  thickly  streaked  with  clove-brown,  the  feather 
edgings  grayish,  but  buffy  on  back,  rump  and  abdomen.  Wings  and  tail  dull 
black,  the  primaries,  secondaries  and  tertiaries  narrowly,  the  tertiaries  and  wing 
coverts  broadly,  edged  with  buffy  white  forming  two  distinct  wing  bands  at  tips 
of  greater  and  median  coverts.  Bill  and  feet  brownish  black. 

This  description  is  taken  from  two  females  in  my  collection 
secured  in  eastern  Canada,  June  2pth  and  July  i6th.  The  birds 
are  decidedly  blacker  than  L.  c.  minor -in  corresponding  plumage. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  probably  in  September,  which  involves  the  body  plumage, 
but  neither  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

The  head,  back,  rump,  throat  and  breast  are  varying  shades  of  chrome-yellow  with 
an  occasional  dash  of  dull  red,  the  scapularies  and  upper  tail  coverts  black. 
Lores,  orbital  region  and  forehead  dull  black. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  to  the 
eye  brightens  the  yellow  by  loss  of  the  barbules  of  the  feathers. 
The  mouse-gray  basal  portion  of  the  body  feathers  is  somewhat 
in  evidence. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.      It  is  likely  nearly  all  young   birds  assume   the 
full  red  adult  plumage  at  this  moult. 

Rosy  or  hoary  brick  or  geranium-red,  the  wings,  tail  and  scapularies  black.  Wing 
bands  and  tertiary  edgings  white.  Abdomen  smoke-gray  and  under  tail  coverts 
dull  white,  rose  tinged,  both  streaked  with  clove-brown.  The  colors  are  much 
pinker  than  those  of  L.  c.  minor  in  corresponding  dress  and  the  white  wing 
bands  distinctive. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  which,  to  the 
eye,  brightens  the  rosy  tints  considerably  by  loss  of  the  barbules 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  177 

from  a  part  of  each  barb.     The  general  effect  is  that  of  a  rosy 
bird  mottled  with  whitish  spots. 

Female. — In  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  indistinguish- 
able from  the  male,  no  doubt,  as  is  the  case  in  allied  species. 
The  first  winter  plumage,  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  not  involving  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  is  olive-buff,  similar 
to  L.  c.  minor,  from  which  it  may  easily  be  distinguished  by 
the  wing  bands,  and  besides  it  is  more  distinctly  mottled  and 
streaked  with  deeper  olive-brown.  The  first  nuptial  is  simply 
the  previous  plumage  modified  by  wear.  The  adult  winter 
plumage  is,  of  course,  acquired  by  a  complete  postnuptial  moult, 
and  shows  a  certain  amount  of  yellow  scattered  through  it,  which 
is  somewhat  brightened  by  wear  becoming  the  adult  nuptial 
plumage.  Females  never  become  pink. 

* 

Acanthis  linaria  (Linn.).     REDPOLL 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    a    complete    postnatal 
moult. 

Above,  streaked  with  sepia  and  clove-brown  with  whitish  edgings  ;  rump  paler  but 
also  streaked.  Wings  and  tail  clove  brown  with  whitish  or  buffy  edgings  ;  the 
coverts,  wing  bands  and  tertiaries  edged  with  pale  cinnamon.  Below  dull 
white  streaked  with  clove-brown  and  washed  with  buff  on  throat  and  sides. 
Bill  and  feet  of  dry  skin  dull  ochre. 

Description  from  a  specimen  taken  in  Labrador,  August  2/th. 

3.  FIRST    WINTER    PLUMAGE   acquired    by    a   partial    post- 
juvenal moult  late  in  August,   which  apparently  involves  the 
body  plumage  and  wing  coverts  and  not  the  rest  of  the  wings 
nor  the  tail. 

Above,  wood-brown,  sides  of  head  and  rump  paler,  streaked  with  olive-brown,  the 
feather  edgings  often  whitish.  Crown  dull  crimson,  usually  coppery.  Wings 
and  tail  deep  olive-brown,  the  feathers  with  whitish  edgings.  Below  white, 
washed  with  buff  on  throat,  sides  and  flanks,  streaked  laterally  and  on  under 
tail  coverts  with  olive-brown.  A  dull  brownish  black  chin  spot. 

Some  young  birds  may  assume  a  few  rosy  breast  feathers,  but 
they  are  characteristic  of  adults. 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  Sept.  7,  1900 — 12. 


178  DWIGHT 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  through  which 
much  of  the  buff  is  lost,  the  birds  becoming  darker  and  whiter 
with  the  crown  spot  a  trifle  brighter  to  the  eye,  due  to  loss  of 
the  grayish  barbules  of  the  red  barbs. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a   complete  post- 
nuptial   moult.     The    geranium-pink  or   rosy   feathers    of   the 
breast    and    rump    are    assumed.     Otherwise    similar    to    first 
winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
the  rosy  feathers  appear  brighter  like  the  crown  partly  by  loss 
of  barbules  and  partly  by  loss  of  the  whitish  edgings. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  but  the  crown  spot  is  duller  and  smaller,  often  bronzed, 
and  rosy  bfeast  feathers  are  seldom  acquired. 


Acanthis  linaria  rostrata  (Coues).     GREATER  REDPOLL 

The  plumages  and  moults  of  this  race  correspond  to  those  of 
A.  linaria,  the  subspecific  characters  prevailing  even  in  the  juve- 
nal  plumage,  the  colors  darker  and  the  streaking  somewhat 
heavier.  The  adults  are  large,  with  large  bills  and  very  white 
rumps,  sometimes  with  rosy  tints  everywhere. 


Carduelis  carduelis  (Linn.).     EUROPEAN  GOLDFINCH 

The  limited  number  of  specimens  examined  of  this  introduced 
species,  now  well  established  in  Central  Park,  New  York  City, 
forbids  positive  conclusions.  I  have  not  seen  the  juvenal 
plumage,  nor  do  I  know  the  extent  of  the  postju venal  moult, 
which  undoubtedly  takes  place.  Adults  evidently  have  but 
one  moult  annually,  the  postnuptial,  and  I  believe  the  brighten- 
ing of  the  red  frontlet  in  spring  is  due  to  the  loss  of  the  fuzzy 
barbules  from  brighter  colored  barbs.  Descriptions  from  text- 
books are  unsatisfactory  in  solving  the  problems  of  moult,  but 
they  seem  to  indicate  the  usual  sequence  of  plumages  and 
moults  in  this  species. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  179 

Spinus  tristis  (Linn.).     AMERICAN  GOLDFINCH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above  wood-brown,  grayer  on  crown,  yellowish  on  forehead.  Below,  including 
sides  of  head  primrose-yellow  brightest  on  chin,  washed  on  sides  and  flanks  and 
across  the  throat  with  deep  buff.  Wings  and  tail  dull  black  whitish  edged  ; 
secondaries,  tertiaries,  and  wing  coverts  including  two  wing  bands  edged  with 
ochraceous  buff  the  outer  greater  coverts  usually  partly  white.  Bill  and  feet 
pinkish  buff,  becoming  dusky  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  late  in   September   which   involves   the   body 
plumage  but  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  a  deeper  brown  above  and  the  yellow  below  re- 
placed (except  on  the  chin  which  is  a  brighter  yellow)  by  pale  olive-gray, 
darkest  on  the  throat  and  washed  with  wood-brown  on  the  sides.  .  The  crissum 
and  middle  of  the  abdomen  are  white.  Dull  black,  brownish  or  yellowish 
edged  lesser  coverts  (the  "shoulders")  distinguish  young  birds  from  adults 
which  have  them  bright  yellow,  the  black  of  the  wings  and  tail  is  besides  less 
intense,  the  wing  bands  are  browner  and  the  chin  duller  yellow. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult   during   April  and  early  May  which  involves  the  entire 
body  plumage  but  neither  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  bright 
canary  and  black  dress  is  assumed,  old  and  young  distinguish- 
able only  by  the  brownish   "shoulders,"   and  the   duller   and 
more  worn  wings  and  tail  of  the  young  bird.     It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  black  wings  and  tail  are  assumed  with  the  Juvenal 
plumage,  the  black  crown  at  the  prenuptial  moult.     The  effects 
of  wear  are  marked,  for  the  white  edgings  due  to  fading  are  lost 
by  abrasion  before  the  end  of  the  summer  so  that  the  edges  of 
the  tertiaries  and  secondaries  become  scalloped  out,  and  very 
little  if  any  white  remains  when  the  postnuptial  moult  occurs. 
This  is  illustrated  by  plate  II,  figs.  4  and  5. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  about  the  middle  of  September.     Similar 
to  first  winter  but  a  richer  deeper  brown  above,  the  crown,  throat 
and  sides  of  breast  more  distinctly  yellow,  the  edgings  of  the 
wings  and  tail  (which  are  jet  black)  paler  and  most  important  of 
all    the  "  shoulders "   bright    canary-yellow    instead  of  brown. 
Young  and  old  now  become  indistinguishable. 


180  DWIGHT 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves,  as  in  the  young  bird,  the  whole  body  plu- 
mage but  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail.  Distinguishable  from  first 
nuptial  chiefly  by  the  yellow  "shoulders." 

Female. — Females  have  plumages  and  moults  exactly  corre- 
sponding to  the  males,  but  the  plumages  are  regularly  much 
duller  and  the  prenuptial  moults  much  less  extensive.  The 
wings  and  tail  are  browner  and  there  is  no  black  upon  the 
crown.  I  have  a  large  series  of  this  species  taken  every  month 
in  the  year  including  many  specimens  showing  both  sexes  in 
various  stages  of  the  double  moult  they  regularly  undergo. 

Spinus  pinus  (Wils.).     PINE  SISKIN 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  olive-brown  with  buff  tinged,  or  yellowish  feather  edgings  and  streaked  with 
clove-brown.  Wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown,  basal  portion  of  the  remiges 
and  rectrices  canary-yellow,  the  edgings  of  the  primaries  and  secondaries  paler 
yellow,  their  tips  whitish,  the  edgings  of  the  rectrices  faintly  olive-yellow,  the 
wing  coverts  edged  with  ochraceous-buff  forming  two  wing  bands,  the  ter- 
tiaries  broadly  edged  with  buff.  Below  primrose-yellow,  palest  on  chin,  thickly 
streaked  with  clove-brown.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  dusky  when  older. 

This  plumage  is  worn  a  long  time,  probably  two  months,  the 
postjuvenal  moult  beginning  early  in  August  as  shown  by  a 
specimen  from  eastern  Canada,  August  8th.  It  becomes  con- 
siderably worn  and  the  buffy  tints  as  well  as  the  yellow  below 
are  nearly  lost  before  the  moult  begins. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult   in  August  in  eastern  Canada  which  involves   the  body 
plumage  but  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     - 

Differs  very  little  from  the  previous  plumage,  birds  being  a  paler  brown  above  and 
altogether  without  the  yellow  tinge  below.  They  are  dull  white  below  with  a 
faint  buffy  tinge  anteriorly  and  laterally  and  streaked  with  olive-brown  ;  the 
buffy  wing  coverts  rapidly  fade  to  dull  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  which   pro- 
duces a  dingy  white,  brown-streaked  bird. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS    OF   NEW  YORK  181 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  in  August.      Differs  very  little  from  first  winter  dress. 
The  wings  and  tail  will  average  darker  with  more   yellow  and 
the  wing  coverts  have  less  buff  and  often  a  tinge  of  yellow. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by   wear  as  in   the 
young  bird. 

Female. — Females  have  plumages  and  moults  corresponding 
to  those  of  the  males.  They  are  indistinguishable  from  them  in 
natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  except  that  the  extent  and  in- 
tensity of  the  yellow  in  the  wings  and  tail  is  less  in  most  speci- 
mens in  juvenal  dress.  In  later  plumages  this  difference  holds 
and  besides  the  birds  are  usually  less  heavily  streaked  and  paler 
than  the  males. 

Plectrophenax  nivalis  (Linn.).     SNOWFLAKE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by  a  complete    postnatal 
moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  mouse-gray  streaked  faintly  on  the  head,  more 
broadly  on  the  back  with  dull  black.  Wings  dull  black  ashy  edged,  second- 
aries, basal  part  of  primaries  and  wing  coverts  pure  white,  the  tertiaries  broadly 
edged  with  Prout's-brown.  Tail  chiefly  white,  the  central  rectrices  wholly 
clove-brown  the  others  merely  edged  with  it  terminally.  Below,  dull  white,  the 
throat,  breast  and  sides  mouse-gray,  a  brownish  wash  in  the  flanks.  Bill  pin- 
kish flesh,  feet  dull  black. 

This  description  is  taken  from  Greenland  specimens. 
White  primary  coverts  terminally   dusky   distinguish  young 
males  from  adults,  in  which  they  are  wholly  white. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult  early  in  August  in   Greenland  which  involves  the  body 
plumage,  but  apparently  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  wood-brown  often  russet  tinged,  darker  on  the  crown,  completely  veiling  the 
black  basal  portions  of  the  dorsal  feathers  and  the  white  portions  of  those  of 
the  head.  Below  pure  white,  a  jugular  band  and  the  sides  russet,  its  extremi- 
ties and  the  auriculars  Vandyke-brown. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  chiefly  by  wear  which 
produces  during  the   breeding  season  a  plumage  almost  wholly 


182  DWIGHT 

black  and  white.  The  feather  edgings  of  the  back  are  grad- 
ually lost  down  to  the  black  area,  the  individual  feathers  thereby 
becoming  sagittate  instead  of  rounded,  while  abrasion  and  fad- 
ing- remove  the  browns  that  conceal  the  white.  I  do  not  find 

S3 

that  the  black  area  of  any  feather  corresponds,  except  approxi- 
mately, to  the  points  where  the  bar'bules  of  adjacent  barbs  last 
cross  as  figured  by  CHAPMAN  ('96)  and  STONE  ('96,  pp.  118- 
119).  I  am  inclined  rather  to  believe  that  chemical  disintegra- 
tion proceeds  faster  in  the  less  pigmented  extremities  of  the 
barbs  which  certainly  are  not  provided  with  heavier  barbules  at 
the  point  where  the  feather  tips  cease  to  break  away.  Besides 
wear,  there  is  some  renewal  of  feathers  on  the  chin,  throat  and 
sides  of  the  head  during  February  and  March,  as  in  many  other 
species,  but  this  perhaps  scarcely  deserves  to  be  called  a  moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquirecVin  Greenland  by  a  com- 
plete postnuptial  moult  late  in  July  and  in  August.     The  wings 
and  tail  are  usually  blacker  than  in  first  winter  dress,  the  edg- 
ings richer  with  less  brown  and  more  gray,  the  tertiaries  edged 
with  a   deeper  brown,  the  primary  coverts  wholly  white  ;  else- 
where the  brown  is  paler  especially  on  the  crown  and  jugular 
band. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  chiefly  by  wear  and 
partly  by  moult  as   in  the  young  bird.      Plumage  wholly  black 
and  white. 

Female. — In  Juvenal  plumage  the  female  is  similar  to  the 
male,  but  with  less  white  on  the  wings  and  tail,  the  greater 
coverts  brown,  the  primary  coverts  wholly  dusky,  and  the  sec- 
ondaries with  dusky  edgings.  Subsequent  plumages  and  moults 
correspond  to  those  of  the  male.  The  wings  and  tail  are  regu- 
larly duller,  and  the  white  of  the  wing  restricted  and  mixed  with 
dull  black.  The  chief  differential  character  is  found  in  the  feathers 
of  the  head  and  nape  which  are  dull  brownish  black  basal ly. 
In  winter  plumages  this  black  is  veiled  with  rich  brown,  but 
wear  produces  a  streaked  appearance  in  nuptial  plumages.  The 
jugular  band  is  usually  faint  in  females.  The  characters  given 
distinguish  females  in  any  plumage  from  males,  whether  adults 
or  young  birds. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF   NEW   YORK  183 

Calcarius  lapponicus  (Linn.).     LAPLAND  LONGSPUR 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  rich  buff  or  clay-color  streaked  heavily  with  black. 
Wings  and  tail  deep  clove-brown,  tertiaries  and  greater  coverts  edged  with 
Mar's-brown,  white  tipped,  lesser  coverts  with  white,  primaries  and  tail  with 
pale  cinnamon,  outer  rectrices  terminally  bufFy  white.  Below,  dull  white, 
washed  with  buff  across  the  throat ;  the  chin,  throat  and  sides  streaked  with 
black.  Bill  and  feet  of  dried  skin  dusky  clay-color. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  in   Greenland  early  in  August  which  involves 
the  body  plumage,  part  of  the  wing  coverts  and  not  the  rest  of 
wings  nor  the  tail.     Young  and  old  become  practically  indis- 
tinguishable in  many  cases. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  wood-brown  and  cinnamon  streaked  with 
clove-brown,  the  nape  and  sides  of  (neck  chestnut  concealed  by  wood -brown 
edgings  ;  lesser  coverts  edged  with  wood-brown.  Median  crown  stripe  super- 
ciliary line  and  anterior  auriculars  buff,  posterior  auriculars  black.  Below, 
white,  the  feathers  everywhere  dusky  basally,  the  sides  of  chin  and  a  crescentic 
area  on  the  throat  jet  black  veiled  almost  completely  by  long  white  edgings  ; 
the  sides  and  flanks  streaked  with  black. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  beginning  in  March  in  the  United  States  which  involves 
the  anterior  parts   of  the  head,   chin  and  throat.     The    black 
feathers  of  these  areas  and  the  creamy  white  ones  of  the  sides  of 
the  head  are  acquired  by  moult  contrasting  with  the  chestnut 
collar  which  is  assumed  by  loss  of  feather  edgings.     This  moult 
does  not  usually  extend   to   the  posterior  portion  of  the   black 
throat  patch  where  old  black  feathers  with  partly  worn-off  edg- 
ings  are   regularly  found.     Wear   produces  a  distinctly  black 
and  white  streaked  appearance  above  with  the  collar  clear  chest- 
nut as  if  unveiled. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August.      Practically  indistinguishable  in  many 
cases  from  first  winter  dress,  but  the  black  on  the  chin  and  throat 
is  more  extensive,  and  the  colors  richer  and  deeper,  especially 
the  wing  edgings. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 


184  D  WIGHT 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  but  the  black  throat  patch  is  never  so  extensive  and 
usually  merely  outlined  with  dull  black  streaks.  The  juvenal 
plumage  is  indistinguishable  from  that  of  the  male.  The  first 
winter  plumage  is  much  veiled  and  streaked  above  with  clove 
and  cinnamon  brown,  the  nape  vinaceous  ;  below  it  is  white  ob- 
scurely black  on  the  sides  of  the  chin  and  with  a  small  throat 
patch,  the  sides  and  flanks  black  streaked.  The  first  nuptial 
plumage  is  chiefly  the  result  of  wear,  a  few  white  feathers  being 
acquired  by  moult  on  the  chin.  The  adult  winter  plumage  is 
like  the  first  winter  dress  with  perhaps  more  black  on  the  throat. 

Calcarius  ornatus  (Towns.).      CHESTNUT-COLLARED  LONGSPUR 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above  clove-brown,  the  feathers  edged  with  dull  white  and  wood-brown  producing 
a  streaked  appearance.  Wings,  sepia-brown,  the  primaries  terminally  dusky, 
the  coverts  edged  with  white  forming  a  band  at  tips  of  the  greater,  which  with 
the  tertiaries,  secondaries  and  middle  rectrices  are  edged  with  pale  cinnamon, 
the  primaries  with  buff;  tail  largely  white,  the  outer  rectrices  with  only  a 
terminal  shaft  line  of  sepia.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish  buff,  becoming 
darker. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult   which    involves  the  body  plumage,    lesser  wing  coverts 
and  usually  not  more  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage.  Above,  sepia  edged  with  pale  wood-brown  concealing 
black  feathers  on  the  crown  and  chestnut  ones  on  the  nape  and  sides  of  neck; 
a  partly  streaked  effect  elsewhere.  Lesser  wing  coverts  black  veiled  with 
whitish  edgings.  Below,  throat  and  breast  black  much  veiled  with  buffy  white 
edgings,  the  chin,  flanks  and  crissum  white  tinged  with  buff.  Auriculars  wood- 
brown,  the  posterior  ones  concealing  black  ;  superciliary  line  and  lores  whitish. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  in  March  which  involves   chiefly  the  head   and   throat. 
The  chin,  auriculars  and  lores  are  renewed  by  moult,  becoming 
clay-colored  and  also  part  of  the  black  area  on  the  throat  and 
forehead,  the  rest  of  it  becoming  black  by   loss   of  the  feather 
edgings.     The  black  portion  of  the  auriculars  and  the  chestnut 
collar  is  exposed  by  wear,  the  superciliary  line  becoming  whiter, 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  185 

the  abdomen  paler  and  the  back  more  distinctly  streaked  by  the 
same  influence.  There  are  few  species  in  which  the  same  color, 
black,  is  produced  by  moult  and  by  wear,  but  this  one  illustrates 
it  beautifully  and  the  lines  of  demarcation  between  old  and  new 
feathers  vary  according  to  the  individual.  When  only  part  of 
the  chin  is  renewed  by  moult,  the  clay-color  may  be  divided  from 
the  black  by  a  white  band  of  worn  faded  feathers.  Young  and 
old  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.      Differs  from  the  first  winter  dress  chiefly  in  the 
larger  areas   of  black,  which  often  include   the  chin,  and  in  the 
richer  darker  colors  especially  wing  edgings. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male  from  which  the  female  is  first  distinguishable  in  first 
winter  plumage  which  is  plain  wood-brown  streaked  everywhere 
with  clove-brown,  the  wing  coverts  and  tertiaries  with  whitish 
edgings.  The  prenuptial  moult  is  limited  and  in  later  plumages 
very  little  if  any  of  the  black  throat  of  the  male  is  acquired. 

Poocsetes  gramineus  (GmeL).     VESPER  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  wings  and  tail  clove-brown,  the  effect,  streaked 
owing  to  the  body  feathers  and  wing  coverts  being  dark  centrally,  bordered 
with  buffy,  grayish  and  whitish  edgings.  The  edgings  of  the  tertiaries  and  the 
lesser  coverts  ("shoulders")  are  Mar's-brown,  those  of  the  greater  coverts 
paler  and  the  feathers  tipped  with  white,  those  of  the  secondaries  still  paler, 
those  of  the  outer  primaries  and  rectrices  dull  white  ;  the  outer  rectrix  largely 
white.  Below,  clingy  white  streaked  with  clove-brown,  heaviest  on  the  jugulum, 
merely  flecked  on  chin  and  crissum.  Feet  and  bill  pinkish  buff  darkening  little 
with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  the  latter  half  of  August  which  involves  the 
body  plumage  but  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young   becoming 
practically  indistinguishable  from  adults. 


186  DWIGHT 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  sepia-brown  streaked  with  clove-brown 
and  tinged  with  walnut.  Below,  dull  white,  clearer  on  the  chin,  washed  on 
throat  and  sides  with  pinkish  buff  and  streaked  broadly  on  throat  and  sides 
with  clove-brown,  walnut  tinged  and  veiled  with  whitish  or  buffy  edgings  ;  the 
chin  flecked  ;  the  breast,  abdomen  and  crissum  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  marked 
and  produces  a  brown-streaked  plumage.    The  buffs  and  browns 
are  largely  lost.     A  few  new  feathers  may  be  assumed  about 
the  chin  in  spring,  but  there  is  no  evidence  of  a  moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete   post- 
nuptial moult   beginning  in  mid-August.      Practically  indistin- 
guishable from  first  winter  dress,  sometimes  paler   below,  the 
tertiary  edgings  rather  darker. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear  as   in    the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  alike  in  all  plumages, 
although  the  colors  will  average  duller  in  the  female,  and  the 
moults  are  the  same. 

Ammodramus  princeps  (Mayn.).     IPSWICH  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  buff,  palest  on  the  back,  streaked  narrowly  on.  the  pileum,  nape  and  rump, 
and  broadly  on  the  back  with  deep  clove-brown.  Below,  pale  yellowish  buff, 
palest  on  chin,  abdomen  and  crissum  ;  narrowly  streaked  on  sides  of  throat, 
across  jugulum,  on  sides,  flanks  and  thighs  with  clove-brown.  Wings  and  tail 
clove-brown  the  quills  and  coverts  with  whitish  or  pale  cinnamon  edgings,  be- 
coming russet  on  the  tertiaries  the  proximal  one  white  edged.  Bill  and  feet 
pinkish  buff,  the  former  becoming  dusky,  the  latter  slightly  browner  with  age. 

This  description  is  based  upon  nine  specimens  in  my  collection 
taken  on  Sable  Island,  Nova  Scotia,  in  July  and  August. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  August  which  involves  the    body  plumage,  and  ap- 
parently the   wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  chiefly  drab-gray  which  edges  feathers 
clove-brown  centrally  bordered  by  a  zone  of  Vandyke-brown  so  that  the  streak- 
ing above  is  suffused.  The  nape  and  median  crown  stripe  are  yellowish.  The 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF  NEW   YORK  187 

edgings  of  the  wing  coverts,  secondaries  and  tertiaries  are  of  a  vinaceous  cin- 
namon  which  rapidly  fades.  Below,  white,  buff  tinged  on  sides  of  head,  across 
throat  and  on  sides,  streaked  on  sides  of  chin,  across  jugulum  and  on  sides  and 
flanks  with  russet  bordered  by  clove-brown  which  is  veiled  by  overlapping 
whitish  feather  edgings.  Superciliary  line  ashy  gray.  No  yellow  above  the 
eye. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  the  head,  throat,  and  part  of  the  breast, 
and  a  few  stray  feathers  of  the  other  tracts  but  neither  the  wings 
nor  the  tail.     The  chin  and  throat  become  whiter,  the  streakings 
on  them  darker  and  the  yellow  of  the  superciliary  line  is  ac- 
quired.     Elsewhere  the  buffy  tints  fade  out  and  the  streakings 
become  more  prominent  owing  to  the  abrasion  which  exposes 
the  darker   colors   beneath  the  veiling.     The    prenuptial   moult 
begins  in  February  lasting  through  March  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
York  city,  young  birds  and  old  becoming  practically  indistin- 
guishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August.      Indistinguishable  with  certainty  from 
first  winter  dress  but  usually  grayer  or  more  hoary  above,  the 
russet  deeper  on  trie  wings  and  everywhere  less  suffused  with 
buff.     Some  specimens  are  tinged  with  yellow  above  the  eye. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable  although 
females  will  average  rather  browner  and  duller ;  and  the  moults 
are  identical,  the  prenuptial  of  the  female  however  more  limited 
than  that  of  the  male. 

Ammodramus   sandwichensis   savanna   (Wils.). 
SAVANNA  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Similar  in  pattern  and  coloration  to  A.  princeps,  but  everywhere  darker.  Above 
clay-color  or  deep  buff  prevails  with  dark  streaking,  darkest  on  pileum  ;  the 
wing  feather  edgings  are  darker  than  those  of  princeps  the  secondaries  and  ter- 
tiaries being  walnut-brown.  Below,  and  to  a  certain  extent  above,  and  about 
the  head,  a  buff  suffusion  replaces  the  paler  yellowish  tints  of  princeps. 


188  DWIGHT 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  early  in  August,  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age, and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail.     Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable,  the 
young  usually  with  more  buff  tints. 

Similar  to  A.  princeps,  but  dark  brown 'instead  of  gray  prevailing  above,  the  crown, 
back  and  wing  edgings  much  darker.  Below  with  more  buff  on  the  throat  and 
about  the  head,  the  streakings  decidedly  broader  and  blacker. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  in   March   and   April  which   involves  the   head,   throat, 
breast,  often  the  anterior  part  of  the  back,  the  tertiaries  and  stray 
feathers  elsewhere  even  on  the  thighs,  the  abdomen,  the  lumbar 
tracts  and  the  tail  coverts,  but  not  the  remiges  nor  rectrices.     The 
bufify  winter  tints  are  replaced  by  grayish  ones  and  the  yellow  of 
the  superciliary  line  is  acquired.     Wear  is  soon  marked. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August.      Differs  little  from   first  winter  plum- 
age, the   buffiness  less  pronounced  and  the   tertiary  edgings  a 
deeper  brown.     Superciliary  line  sometimes  tinged  with  yellow. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenup- 
tial moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable,  although 
usually,  the  yellow  of  the  superciliary  line  is  less  bright  in  the 
female  and  there  is  more  buffy  suffusion. 

Ammodramus  savannarum  passerinus  (Wils.). 
GRASSHOPPER   SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  mottled  and  streaked  with  olive-brown,  the  edgings  of  the  nape  and  median 
crown  stripe  grayish,  those  of  the  back  and  rump  buffy,  the  scapularies  tipped 
with  spots  of  russet.  Wings  and  tail  olive-brown,  edged  with  wood-brown  or 
pale  cinnamon,  the  wing  coverts  and  tertiaries  tipped  with  white.  The  central 
rectrices  have  a  peculiar  fused  barring  along  the  shafts.  Below,  white,  streaked 
across  the  jugulum  and  faintly  on  the  sides  with  olive-brown.  Edge  of  wing 
white  or  faintly  yellow.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former  becoming  dusky, 
the  latter  deep  brown  when' older,  and  dull  ochre-yellow  in  dried  skins. 
(Plate  II,  fig.  1,  shows  a  new  tertiary  of  this  plumage.) 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  189 

This  plumage  is  worn  a  long  time  and  is  much  frayed  and 
faded  when  the  postju venal  moult  begins  about  the  middle  of 
August. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
juvenal  moult  in  August. 

The  pattern  of  nearly  all  the  feathers  is  changed  from  that  of  the  Juvenal  plumage, 
the  streaking  of  the  pectoral  band  being  lost,  the  barring  of  the  tail  replaced 
by  uniform  brown,  and  the  plain  brown  tertiaries  acquiring  apical  sepia-brown 
spots.  (Plate  II,  fig.  2,  shows  a  tertiary  of  this  plumage  and  fig.  3  the  effect 
of  wear  upon  it. )  The  feathers  of  the  back  are  black  with  apical  chestnut 
spots  edged  with  pearl-gray  ;  the  nape  lacks  most  of  the  black,  and  the  pileum 
most  of  the  gray,  of  the  previous  plumage.  The  median  crown  stripe  and  the 
edgings  of  the  tertiaries  and  wing  coverts  are  rich  buff,  of  the  wing  quills  and 
tail  olive-gray,  the  bend  of  the  wing  bright  lemon.  The  wings  and  tail  are 
darker.  Below,  including  sides  of  head  and  superciliary  line,  rich  buff,  deepest 
on  jugulum,  very  obscurely  streaked  with  pale  cinnamon,  the  middle  of  the 
abdomen  pure  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  at  the  south  in  April,  which  involves  chiefly  the  chin,  sides 
of  head  and  crown  and  a  few  scattering  feathers  of  the  other 
tracts  ;  but  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  yellow  superciliary" 
spot  is  acquired.     Wear  is  more  marked  than  is  the  slight  moult, 
which  perhaps   does  not  deserve  the  name,  fading  removing  a 
large  part  of  the  buff  tints  and  abrasion  fraying  the  feathers,  so 
that  by  the  end  of  the  breeding  season  even  the  terminal  spots 
of  the  tertiaries  become  gouged  out  as  shown  on  plater  II,  fig.  3. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Differs  veiy  little  from  first  winter  dress,  the  buff 
less  obvious  and  the  colors  deeper. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable  and 
have  corresponding  moults  and  plumages. 

Ammodramus  henslowii  (Aud.).     HENSLOW'S  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Smoke-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above  clay -color,  streaked  on  head  and  back  with  black,  the  feathers  with  rounded 


190  DWIGHT 

central  spots  bordered  with  the  clay-color.  Wings  and  tail  clove-brown  edged 
with  clay-color,  secondaries  and  tertiaries  with  russet,  alulae  with  white.  Be- 
low, faint  primrose-yellow,  buffy  on  chin  and  throat,  unstieaked  or  an  occas- 
sional  streak  at  sides  of  throat.  Bill  and  feet  of  dried  skin  raw  umber  brown 
sometimes  dusky  and  paler  in  spring  specimens. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a    complete    post- 
juvenal  moult  so  far  as  may  be  judged  from  limited  material  for 
comparison. 

Pileum  and  nape  yellowish  olive-buff,  lateral  crown  stripes  and  flecking  of  nape 
black  ;  back  chestnut,  streaked  with  black  the  edgings  pearl  gray  ;  rump  tawny 
olive  veiling  black  streaks.  Below,  dull  wrhite  washed  on  sides  of  head,  breast, 
flanks  and  on  crissum  with  clay-color,  a  jugular  band  of  narrow  black  streaks 
which  extend  broader  on  the  flanks.  Orbital  ring  pearl-gray.  Wings  and  tail 
darker  than  in  previous  plumage,  the  edgings  largely  russet  or  chestnut,  the 
alulae  edged  with  drab.  The  tail  is  darker,  the  dusky  stripes  along  the  shafts 
bordered  with  chestnut. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  confined  chiefly  to   the   head   and   chin.      In 
species  so  much  affected  by  wear  it  is  not  easy  to  be  sure  of  a 
moult  without  specimens  which  actually  show  it.     The  freshness 
of  many  feathers  in  spring  indicate  it. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  first  winter, 
usually  whiter  below,  of  a  greener  tint  about  the  head  and  the 
edgings  of  the  back  grayer. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable,  and  the 
moults  correspond. 


Ammodramus  caudacutus  (Gmel.).     SHARP-TAILED  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Grayish  wood-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Everywhere  rich  buff  brightest  on  superciliary  and  malar  stripes  and  on  jugulum  ; 
the  back  broadly,  the  jugulum  and  sides  narrowly  streaked  with  clove-brown. 
Crown  and  wings  nearly  black,  wing  coverts  and  tertiaries  broadly  edged  with 
ochraceous  buff,  the  secondaries  with  russet,  the  primaries  and  their  coverts 
with  greenish  tinged  olive-gray,  the  alulae  with  white.  Tail  olive-brown  with 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  191 

clove-brown  shaft  streaks  and  indistinct  barring.     Auriculars  dusky.     Bill  and 
feet  pinkish  buff  the  former  becoming  dusky,  the  latter  sepia-brown  with  age. 

This  plumage  is  worn  from  June  to  September  when  the  post- 
ju venal  moult  takes  place  in  worn  and  faded  birds. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult    during    September    and    early  October    which    involves 
almost  the  entire  plumage  except  the  primaries,  their  coverts, 
and  the  secondaries,  and  apparently  these  also  in  some  vigorous 
individuals. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage  ;  the  upper  parts  resembling  A.  mantnius.  Above, 
dull  brownish  olive-green,  an  orange  tinged  patch  on  the  nape,  the  feathers  of 
the  back  edged  with  pearl  and  cinereous  gray,  the  crown  rich  sepia  faintly 
streaked  with  clove-brown,  an  indistinct  median  stripe  cinereous  gray.  The 
tertiaries  are  edged  with  buff,  the  secondaries  and  greater  coverts  with  russet,  the 
lesser  coverts  with  olive-yellow  ;  the  edge  of  the  wing  is  bright  lemon-yellow. 
The  new  tail  has  more  olive  and  is  less  barred  than  the  old.  Below,  dull  white 
washed  on  chin,  across  jugulum  and  on  sides,  flanks  and  crissum  with  ochra- 
ceous  buff,  superciliary  and  malar  stripes  deeper  buff;  streaked  on  jugulum, 
sides  and  crissum  with  clove-brown  veiled  by  overlapping  feather  edgings. 
Auriculars  cinereous. 

The  buff  everywhere  fades  rapidly  and  abrasion  is  soon  marked 
bringing  the  throat  streaking  into  prominence.  Birds  become 
much  grayer  above  and  much  whiter  below  by  fading  and  by 
actual  loss  of  the  veiling  feather  tips.  Several  albinistic  speci- 
mens in  my  collection  are  in  this  plumage  mottled  with  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  prenup- 
tial  moult  which  occurs  in  March  and  April.      I  have  seen  sev- 
eral specimens  with  the  remiges  partly  grown,  but  this  is  usually 
accomplished   before   the  birds  reach   us  although  many  show 
renewal  in  the  body  feathers.     A  careful  examination  under  the 
glass  shows  that  birds  in  May  are  in  as  fresh  plumage  even  to 
the  wings  and  tail   as  when  they  leave  us   late  in  October  and 
November  and  it  would   be  safe  to  infer  a  moult  even  if  there 
were  no  actual  proof  of  it.     Wear  soon  produces  a  faded  ragged 
bird  dull  brown  above  and  dingy  white  below  with  dull  streaks, 
only  the  superciliary  and  malar  stripes  showing  any  buff. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult   beginning  late  in  August.     Practically  indistin- 
guishable from  first  winter  dress  the  colors  averaging  richer. 


192  DWIGHT 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  pre- 
nuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable  and  the 
moults  identical. 

Ammodramus  caudacutus  nelsoni  Allen.     NELSON'S  SPARROW 

Ammodramus  caudacutus  subvirgatus  Dwight.     ACADIAN 
SHARP-TAILED  SPARROW 

The  plumages  and  moults  of  these  two  races  correspond  ex- 
actly to  those  of  A.  caudacutus.  I  have  indicated  their  differences 
of  plumage  in  another  paper  (Auk,  XIII,  1896,  pp.  271-278) 
and  need  only  add  that  all  these  birds  undoubtedly  have  two 
complete  moults  every  year,  judging  by  a  large  amount  of  ma- 
terial illustrating  all  plumages  except  the  natal  and  Juvenal  of 
A.  c.  nelsoni  which  is  unknown  in  collections. 

Ammodramus  maritimus  (Wils.).     SEASIDE  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  the  tail,  olive-brown  narrowly  streaked  on 
pileum,  nape  and  upper  tail  coverts  and  more  broadly  on  the  back  with  clove- 
brown.  Wings  dull  black,  primaries  edged  with  olive-gray,  secondaries  with 
russet,  coverts  and  tertiaries  with  buff,  alulae  with  white.  Below,  dull  white 
washed  with  buff  on  sides  of  chin,  on  jugulum,  along  the  flanks  and  on 
crissum  and  narrowly  streaked  on  jugulum  and  along  the  sides  with  clove- 
brown.  The  supraloral  space  is  greenish.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  flesh,  the 
former  becoming  slaty  and  the  latter  sepia-brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by   a    complete   post- 
juvenal   moult  beginning  the  latter  part  of  August   when  the 
juvenal  plumage  has  become  worn  and  faded  as  a  result  of  fully 
two  months'  wear.    Young  and  old  become  indistinguishable. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage,  less  definitely  streaked.  Above,  including  sides  of 
head,  wings  and  tail  olive-green,  pileum  and  back  cinereous  from  the  olive 
and  pearl-gray  edgings,  median  crown  stripe  pure  cinereous  gray  bordered  by  two 
lateral  stripes  of  olive-green  obscurely  streaked  with  black.  The  primaries  are 
edged  with  olive-green,  the  outer  with  white,  the  secondaries,  tertiaries  and 
greater  coverts  with  rich  russet,  the  lesser  with  olive-yellow,  the  alulae  with 
whi'e.  The  edge  of  the  wing  is  bright  lemon  and  a  yellow  spot  is  acquired  in 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF   NEW  YORK  193 

the  supraloral  space,  the  superciliary  line  greenish.  Below,  dull  white  washed 
across  jugulum,  on  sides  and  crissum  with  buff,  and  broadly  and  rather  indis- 
tinctly streaked  (except  on  chin  and  mid-abdomen  which  are  pure  white)  with 
olive-gray. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.     The  plumage 
of  these  birds  when  they  reach  the  latitude  of  New  York  in  May 
is  already  ragged,  and  by  the  end  of  the  breeding  season  the 
feathers  are  in  shreds,  the  plumage  becoming  a  dingy  brown 
above  and  a  mottled  gray  below  the  only  distinctive  markings 
being  a  dirty  white  chin  and  yellow  supraloral  spots.     The  tat- 
tered condition  of  this  species  illustrates  how  unfortunate  it  is  to 
base  specific  descriptions  on  breeding  plumages. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  in   mid-August.     The  fresh   plumage 
assumed  is  in  sharp  contrast  to  the  ragged  one  doffed  and  differs 
very  little  from  first  winter  except  in  the  richness  of  the  tints, 
being  a  trifle  darker  and  grayer  with  less  buff. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  as   in    the 
young  bird.      It  is  rather  surprising  that  a  species  living  in  the 
same  environment  as  A.  caudacutus  and  suffering  equally  from 
abrasion  due  to  coarse  marsh  grasses  and  reeds  should  have  but 
one  moult  in  the  year,  while  the  latter  has  two. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  are  identical,  the  colors 
.averaging  somewhat  duller. 


Chondestes  grammacus  (Say).     LARK  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  deep  olive-brown,  including  wings  and  tail,  the  feathers  edged  with  pale 
buff  and  dull  white,  producing  a  streaked  effect  on  the  back  and  head ;  the 
greater  coverts  are  edged  with  buff,  the  primaries  and  secondaries  with  pale 
vinaceous  cinnamon,  an  area  of  this  color  at  the  bases  of  the  primaries  forming 
a  spot  beneath  their  coverts  ;  the  rectrices  broadly  tipped  with  white.  Below, 
dull  white,  the  chin,  throat,  breast  and  sides  flecked  and  streaked  with  deep 
olive-brown.  Superciliary  stripes  pale  buff  flecked  with  dull  black  ;  suborbital 
region  white  ;  loral  and  rictal  streaks  and  posterior  auriculars  black  ;  anterior 
auriculars  sepia-brown.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  upper  mandible  be- 
coming dusky,  the  lower,  and  the  feet  dull  clay-color. 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Sept.  7,  1900 — 13 


194  DWIGHT 

3.  FIRST   WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  post- 
juvenal  moult  beginning  in  Kansas  the  middle  of  July,  young 
and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage,  but  unstreaked  below.  Above,  wood-brown,  streaked 
with  black,  the  pileum  laterally  chestnut,  anteriorly  black,  divided  by  a  buff 
median  stripe,  palest  anteriorly.  Wings  and  tail  deep  clove-brown,  with  cin- 
namon edgings  deepest  on  the  tertiaries,  palest  on  the  indistinct  wing  bands. 
Below,  white,  washed  with  wood-brown  on  sides,  flanks  and  crissum,  the  sides 
of  the  chin  and  a  central  spot  on  the  throat,  with  rictal  and  loral  streaks,  black  ; 
auriculars  largely  chestnut ;  malar,  suborbital  and  superciliary  stripes  white,  the 
latter  buff  tinged. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  in  March  which  involves  the  anterior  parts  of  the  head, 
the  chin  and  throat.     This  renewal  supplies  fresh  feathers  similar 
to  those  they  replace  and  the  line  of  demarcation  is  obvious  on 
the  throat  by  contrast  of  the  clear  white  feathers  next  the  old, 
and  only  less  obvious  on  the  head.     The  chestnut  of  the  auricu- 
lars seems  to  be  richer  and  the  superciliary  line  whiter.     Wear, 
which  is  marked  in  this  species,  removes  much  of  the  wing  edg- 
ings, and  the  spot  at  the  base  of  the  primaries  fades  where  un- 
protected by  their  coverts. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  in  July  in  Kansas.      Practically  indistinguishable  from 
first  winter  dress,   the  colors,  especially  of  edgings,  averaging 
deeper. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird.     As  all  available  spring  specimens 
appear  to  show  fresh  feathers,  semiannual   moult  in   both   old 
and  young  is  the  natural  inference. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  The  Juvenal  plumage  is  indistinguishable  from  the 
male.  The  first  winter  plumage  is  rather  duller  and  the  au- 
riculars less  distinctly  chestnut.  In  later  plumages  the  sexes 
are  practically  alike. 

Zonotrichia  leucophrys  (Forst).     WHITE-CROWNED  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  195 

Similar  to  Z.  albicollis  but  with  paler  brown  on  the  lateral  crown  stripes,  paler  edg- 
ings, lack  of  chestnut  and  less  heavily  streaked  below  with  duller  black. 

Above  sepia-brown  streaked  with  black  the  edgings  of  the  back  pale  buff,  the 
central  crown  stripe  and  indistinct  superciliary  lines  dingy  white.  Below, 
grayish  white,  faintly  washed  with  wood-brown  on  breast,  sides  and  crissum- 
streaked  on  throat,  breast,  sides  and  flanks  with  dull  black.  Wings  and  tail 
deep  olive-brown  edged  with  Mar's-brown,  the  coverts  and  inner  tertiary  tipped 
with  pale  buff.  Auriculars  grayish.  Feet  clay-color  and  bill  slaty  in  dried  skin. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  probably  in  August  on  its  breeding  grounds,  which  ap- 
parently involves  the  body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts  partly 
but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above  bistre,  this  effect  from  broad  Vandyke-brown  stripes  which  are  chestnut  lat- 
erally and  bordered  with  wood-brown  ;  median  crown  stripe  wood- brown  bor- 
dered by  burnt-umber  stripes.  (A  few  black  feathers  on  the  crown  stripes  are 
occasionally  acquired. )  Wing  coverts  and  tertiaries  clove-brown  edged  with 
Vandyke -brown  or  russet  and  tipped  with  yellowish  white  forming  two  wing 
bands.  Below,  including  sides  of  neck  pale  smoke  gray  nearly  white  on  chin 
and  abdomen  and  washed  on  flanks  and  crissum  with  wood-brown.  Auriculars 
wood-brown.  Indistinct  superciliary  line  dull  buffy  gray.  The  bill  is  pinkish 
buff,  drying  darker.  The  feet  dull  flesh  color. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  beginning  the  end  of  March  which  involves  chiefly  the 
head  and  chin  and  a  few  scattering  feathers   elsewhere.     The 
black  and  white  crown  is  assumed  which  soon  shows  nearly  as 
much  wear  as  the  rest  of  the  plumage.     This  becomes  grayer 
and  the  stripes  clearer.   Old  and  young  become  practically  indis- 
tinguishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Differs  from  first  winter  dress  in  having  a  black 
and  white  crown,  lacking  buff  about  the  auriculars  and  being 
everywhere  grayer  and  scarcely  different  from  nuptial  dress. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird.     This  dress  differs  so 
very  little  from  the  adult  winter  that  perhaps  there  is  no  regular 
prenuptial  moult  in  adults  ;  but  occasional  new  feathers  are  to 
be  found  and  unless  more  material  proves  the  contrary  there  is 
reason  for  believing  in  the  moult. 

Female. — The  female  has  corresponding  plumages  and  moults 
and  is  practically  indistinguishable  from  the  male  in  all  plum- 


196  D  WIGHT 

ages,  acquiring  the  black  and  white  crown  at  the  first  prenuptial 
mo  ult. 

Zonotrichia  albicollis  (Gmel.).     WHITE-THROATED  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  clove-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  chestnut-brown,  darkest  on  the  head,  streaked  with  dull  black,  median  line 
and  superciliary  line  olive-gray  buff  tinged,  the  feathers  of  the  back  edged 
with  buff.  Wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown,  the  coverts  and  tertiaries  chestnut 
edged  and  buff  tipped,  the  secondaries  and  rectrices  edged  with  paler  brown,  the 
primaries  with  brownish  white  ;  edge  of  wing  white.  Below,  dull  white,  washed 
with  buff  on  throat  and  sides  and  thickly  streaked  with  clove-brown,  the  whiter 
chin  merely  flecked,  the  abdomen  and  crissum  unmarked.  Bill  slaty  brown, 
feet  pinkish  buff,  both  darker  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  in  eastern  Canada  early  in  August,  which  in- 
volves the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of 
the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Unlike  previous  plumage  except  above.  The  back  is  more  broadly  striped  and 
edged  with  buff,  the  crown  nearly  black  divided  by  a  dull  brownish  or  olive- 
gray  median  line.  Superciliary  line  dull  white  buff  tinged,  lemon-yellow  an- 
teriorly ;  edge  of  wing  pale  yellow.  Below,  the  chin  is  pure  white  with  black 
rictal  and  submalar  streaks,  the  throat  and  breast  ashy  gray  obscurely  vermicu- 
lated  with  clove-brown,  a  darker  concealed  central  breast  spot.  Abdomen 
white,  the  flanks  and  crissum  washed  with  wood-brown  and  duskily  streaked. 

The  more  precocious  young  birds  become  indistinguishable 
from  adults,  and  tlgere  is  great  individual  variation  among  them, 
the  whiteness  of  the  chin  patch,  the  grayness  of  the  throat,  and 
the  black  and  white  of  the  crown  showing  all  degrees  of  in- 
tensity. As  a  rule,  however,  young  birds  are  browner  with 
duller  crown  stripes  and  less  purely  gray  breasts. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  during  April   which   involves   more  or  less  of  the  body 
plumage,  but  usually  confined  chiefly  to  the  head,  throat  and 
breast  and  not  involving  the  wings  and  tail.     The  black  crown 
and  the  postocular  streak  with  pure  white  median  and  supercil- 
iary stripes  and  bright  yellow  supraloral  spot  are  acquired  above  ; 
the  white  chin  bordered  by  clear  cinereous  gray  being  the  chief 
feature  below.     The  breast  spot  and  vermiculation  are  lost  if  in- 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  197 

volved  by  the  moult,  but  frequently  they  are  not  reached,  nor  is 
the  posterior  part  of  the  crown  nor  the  back  and  rump  in  most 
cases.  In  some  birds  the  moult  seems  to  be  almost  wholly  sup- 
pressed and  they  breed  in  worn  autumnal  dress.  Young  and 
old  as  a  rule  now  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August.      Differs  from  first  winter  in  being  of  a 
clearer  gray  on  the  throat  with  less  buff  and  the  vermiculations 
more  obscure,  the  crown  and  superciliary  stripes  whiter.     The 
breast  spot  is  less  obvious. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  the  same  areas  as  in  the  young  bird,  and 
produces  a  similar  plumage  richer  with  age  and  grayer  on  the 
throat.     As  all  spring  specimens  show  signs  of  moult  it  is  prob- 
ably that  both  old  and  young  moult  twice  a  year.     It  is  impos- 
sible to  tell  them  apart  in  every  case  in  the  spring,  and  hence  the 
difficulty  in  affirming  a  double  moult  after  the  first  year. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  of  the  female  correspond 
to  those  of  the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  males  and  females 
are  indistinguishable  ;  in  first  winter  plumage  females  usually 
have  much  paler  brown  crown  stripes,  the  gray  of  the  breast 
brownish  and  streaked  rather  than  vermiculated.  The  pre- 
nuptial moult  may  be  almost  wholly  suppressed  in  young  birds 
or  so  extensive  that  they  assume  the  same  first  nuptial  plumage 
as  the  male.  Older,  the  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable, 
females  probably  averaging  duller  in  general  color. 

Spizella  monticola  (GmeL).     TREE  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  streaked  with  sepia  and  clove-brown  with  tinges  of  chestnut  on  crown  and 
back.  Wings  and  tail,  deep  olive-brown  edged  with  grayish  white,  the  coverts 
and  tertiaries  with  pale  buff.  Below  dull  white,  grayish  on  the  throat,  yellow- 
ish on  abdomen  and  crissum,  the  sides  washed  with  pale  cinnamon,  streaked 
(except  on  abdomen  and  crissum)  with  dull  black.  Bill  and  feet  dull  sepia- 
brown  in  dried  specimens. 

Description  from  a  bird  taken  August  3  I  st  in  Labrador. 


198  DWIGHT 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult  in  August  in  Labrador  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
but  apparently  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young  and  old  becom- 
ing indistinguishable. 

Pileum  chestnut,  faintly  edged  in  median  line  with  buff,  feathers  of  back  black 
bordered  with  zone  of  chestnut,  the  edgings  rich  buff,  rump  Isabella- color, 
often  grayish.  White  wing  bands,  the  greater  coverts  and  tertiaries  ( white 
tipped)  are  edged  with  chestnut,  the  lesser  wing  coverts  wholly  olive-gray. 
Below,  dull  white,  the  chin,  throat,  breast,  sides  of  head  and  neck  and  super- 
ciliary line  pale  French-gray,  the  sides  washed  with  wood-brown,  a  conspicuous 
clove-brown  central  breast  spot. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired   by    wear,    the    burl 
edgings  of  the  back  becoming  grayish  and  the  chestnut  every- 
where slightly  paler.     New  feathers  regularly  grow  on  the  chin 
in  March  but  apparently  not  in  the   other  tracts  and  their  ap- 
pearance indicates,  as  in  some  other  species,  renewal  rather  than 
moult,  for  they  are  very  few  in  numbers. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a   complete  post- 
nuptial moult  and  indistinguishable  from  first  winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as   in   the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  indistinguishable  and  the  moults  are 
the  same. 


Spizella  socialis  (Wils.).      CHIPPING  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  wood-brown,  grayish  on  nape  and  rump,  heavily  streaked  with  dull  black, 
faintly  tinged  on  scapularies  and  crown  with  chestnut.  Wings  and  tail  dull 
black,  rectrices  and  primaries  ashy  edged,  the  secondaries  and  tertiaries  chestnut 
edged,  wing  coverts  and  tertiaries  terminally  edged  with  buff.  Ill-defined 
superciliary  stripe,  dull  grayish  white  spotted  with  black.  Auriculars  wood- 
brown.  Dusky  loral  and  postocular  streak.  Below,  white,  streaked  except  on 
abdomen  and  crissum,  with  dull  black.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former 
growing  dusky  and  the  latter  wood -brown  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  the  middle  of  August,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage,  and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF  NEW   YORK  199 

Similar  above  to  the  previous  plumage,  but  with  the  chestnut  crown  veiled  with  buff 
edgings  and  narrowly  streaked  with  black.  Below,  uniform  grayish  white,  un- 
streaked,  washed  with  buff  on  throat  and  sides.  Superciliary  line  dull  white 
buff  tinged.  Loral,  postocular  and  indistinct  submalar  streaks  black. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  in  March  and  April,  which  involves  chiefly  the  forehead, 
crown,  sides  of  head,  chin   and  throat,  little   else   of   the  body 
plumage,  and  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  chestnut  crown, 
bordered  by  the  white  superciliary  lines,  the  white  chin  and  the 
adjacent  cinereous  gray  are  acquired  by  moult,  abrasion  bringing 
the  streaking  of  the  back  into  prominence,  the  buff  and  chestnut 
everywhere  paler  from  gradual  fading.     Young  and  old  become 
practically  indistinguishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a   complete   post- 
nuptial  moult  beginning  in  mid-August.      Indistinguishable  in 
many  cases  from  first  winter  dress,  the  tertiaries  usually  chestnut 
edged  to  their  tips,  not  buff,  the  greater  coverts  more  often  white 
tipped,  less  buff  about  the  head ;  the  grays  and  chestnuts  gen- 
erally richer,  and  somewhat  less  streaking  on  the  crown. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial   prenup- 
tial moult  as  in  the  young  bird.     The  line  of  demarcation  be- 
tween old  and  new  feathers  can  be  made  out  in  all  birds  in  the 
spring  and  summer,  and  all  the  new  crown  feathers  are  chestnut 
without  the    terminal   black   spot    characteristic   of  the   winter 
plumage,  therefore,  the  prenuptial  moult   must  occur  regularly 
in  adults  as  well  as  young. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  alike  in  all  plumages,  and 
the  moults  are  similar,  the  prenuptial  being  more  limited.  The 
first  winter  plumage  is  usually  more  washed  below  with  brown, 
the  chin  with  more  dusky  edgings  and  the  crown  is  less  dis- 
tinctly chestnut  and  more  streaked,  these  streaks  more  frequently 
remaining  posteriorly  than  in  the  male  after  the  prenuptial  moult. 

Spizella  pusilla  (Wils.).     FIELD  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 


200  DWIGHT 

Resembles  S.  soa'atis,  but  the  crown  practically  unstreaked  and  the  streaking  below 
duller  and  restricted  to  throat  and  sides ;  the  loral  and  postocular  streaks  are 
lacking,  the  wing  edgings  are  richer  and  deeper ;  and  the  lower  parts  are 
washed  with  pale  buff  or  brown.  The  orbital  ring  is  not  conspicuous.  The 
upper  mandible  is  usually  paler  than  in  S.  socialis. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  September,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage,  and  the  wing   coverts  but   not  usually  the  rest  of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail,  although  the  middle  pair  of  rectrices  is  oc- 
casionally renewed.      Old  and  young  becoming  practically  indis- 
tinguishable. 

Above,  including  auriculars,  walnut-brown,  a  faint  grayish  median  crown  stripe, 
the  back  streaked  with  black,  the  edgings  buff  or  pale  cinnamon  ;  rump  hair- 
brown.  Orbital  region  and  sides  of  neck  ashy,  the  orbital  ring  conspicuously 
buff.  Below  dull  white,  jugular  band  and  sides  washed  with  pale  cinnamon. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE    acquired    by    wear.      All    the 
cinnamon  below  is  lost  except  a  faint  pectoral  band,  the  sides  of 
the  head  and  neck   become   clear   ashy,   and  the   upper  parts 
bright  hazel  with  whitish  edgings  on  the  back,  the  wing  bands 
white.     There  is  some  renewal  of  feathers  on  the  chin  in  April 
but  apparently  not  enough  to  deserve  the  name  of  a  moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult   beginning   late   in  August.      Practically  indistin- 
guishable from  first  winter. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to   those   of 
the  male,  the  sexes  being  practically  indistinguishable. 

Junco  hyemalis  (Linn.).      SLATE-COLORED  JUNCO 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Slate-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  drab,  plumbeous  on  crown  ;  sides  of  head  and  nape  streaked  with  dull  black, 
the  feathers  especially  of  the  back  edged  with  bistre.  Wings  and  tail  slaty 
black  edged  with  olive-gray,  the  tertiaries  and  wing  coverts  with  dull  cinnamon, 
the  greater  coverts  tipped  with  buff  Two  outer  rectrices  pure  white.  Feet 
pinkish  buff,  dusky  when  older.  Bill  dusky  pinkish  buff,  flesh-color  when  older 
and  in  dried  specimens  becoming  dull  ochre-yellow. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  201 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  August  and  September,  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail. 

Above,  including  wing  coverts,  sides  of  head,  throat,  breast  and  sides  slaty  gray, 
darkest  on  the  crown  and  veiled  with  bistre  edgings,  especially  on  the  back, 
more  faintly  with  paler  brown  or  ashy  gray  on  the  throat.  Abdomen  and  cris- 
sum  pure  white,  sometimes  faintly  washed  with  vinaceous  cinnamon. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
the   brown   and   ashy  edgings   are  finally   lost,   birds  becoming 
ragged  but  not  much  faded  by  the  end  of  the  breeding  season. 
A  few  new  feathers  are  acquired  on  the  chin  early  in  April,  but 
no  regular  moult  is  indicated. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  the  middle  of  August.     Practically  in- 
distinguishable from  first  winter,  but  the  tertiaries  usually  edged 
with  gray  instead  of  faded  cinnamon,  the  wings  and  tail  blacker 
and  showing  everywhere  fewer  brown  edgings. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE   acquired  by  wear  as  in   first 
nuptial  from  which  practically  indistinguishable. 

Female. — In  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  not  distinguish- 
able from  the  male.  The  moults  are  the  same.  The  first 
winter  plumage  is  similar  to  that  of  the  male,  but  the  gray 
much  paler  and  everywhere  the  plumage  more  veiled  with  brown. 
The  adult  winter  plumage  is  grayer  than  the  first  winter  dress 
and  resembles  the  young  male  at  like  season,  but  is  much 
browner  with  the  gray  paler. 

Melospiza  fasciata  (Gmel.).     SONG  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Resembles  Z.  albicollis,  but  lacks  chestnut  above,  paler  on  crown  and  less  streaked 
below. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  wood-brown  or  sepia  broadly  striped  on  back,  nar- 
rowly on  crown,  nape  and  rump  with  dull  black,  the  feathers  centrally  black 
with  a  narrow  zone  of  walnut  and  wood-brown  and  grayish  edgings.  Indistinct 
median  crown  and  superciliary  stripes  dull  olive-gray  with  dusky  shaft  streaks. 


202  DWIGHT 

Rictal  and  submalar  streaks  black ;  orbital  ring  buff.  Wings  dull  black  with 
walnut  edgings,  the  wing  coverts  and  tertiaries  buff  tipped.  Tail  olive-brown 
broadly  edged  with  walnut  and  indistinctly  barred.  Below,  dull  white  washed 
with  pale  or  yellowish  buff  deepest  on  the  throat  and  flanks  and  streaked  on  sides 
of  chin,  throat,  breast  and  sides  with  dull  black.  Feet  and  bill  pinkish  flesh, 
becoming  dusky  with  age,  the  lower  mandible  remaining  partly  flesh-color. 

Twenty-seven  specimens  in  this  plumage  show  a  good  deal  of 
individual  variation  in  the  yellowness  of  the  lower  parts  and  the 
amount  of  streaking.  This  plumage  is  worn  several  months 
and  fades  considerably. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial,  sometimes 
complete,  postjuvenal  moult  during  August,  September  and 
October  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  the  tail  and  very 
often,  part  at  least,  of  the  remiges.  The  renewal  of  five  or  six 
outer  primaries  occurs  in  nearly  all  young  birds  of  this  species  and 
is  very  likely  characteristic  of  the  first  brood.  Tlrs  fact  throws 
light  on  the  moult  of  the  Indigo  Bunting  (Passcrina  cyctnca)  and 
some  others  which  have  this  peculiarity.  The  secondaries  are 
rarely  found  in  moult,  the  terti'aries,  alulae  and  wing  coverts 
regularly  so.  I  have  a  series  of  eighty-one  birds  at  this  stage, 
besides  the  twenty-seven  in  Juvenal  dress,  showing  all  stages  of 
the  postjuvenal  moult.  With  a  few  specimens  only  the  renewal 
of  primaries,  secondaries  and  even  of  rectrices,  might  easily  be 
overlooked  as  the  new  feathers  are  nearly  of  the  same  pattern 
and  color  as  the  old  and  not  in  contrast  as  with  the  Indigo  Bunt- 
ing. My  large  series  shows  that  the  postjuvenal  moult  begins 
in  some  birds,  presumably  those  of  first  broods,  by  the  middle  of 
August  while  others  may  show  no  signs  of  moult  before  the  last 
of  September.  The  middle  of  September  will  find  the  former  in 
full  first  winter  dress,  while  the  latter  will  still  show  new  feather 
growth  late  in  October  or  even  November.  It  is  worth  noting 
that  the  whole  period  of  moult  does  not  cover  much  over  two 
months  in  the  great  majority  of  cases. 

This  plumage  resembles  the  previous,  but  is  whiter  below  and  richer  in  chestnut 
streakings  both  above  and  below.  The  lateral  crown  stripes  are  distinct  with 
black  streaks,  the  median  and  superciliary  stripes  distinctly  olive-gray.  Below, 
white  washed  with  pale  vinaceous  cinnamon  on  sides  of  head,  across  jugulum 
and  on  sides,  and  streaked,  except  on  chin  and  mid-abdomen,  with  clove-brown 
bordered  with  chestnut,  the  streaks  becoming  confluent  at  sides  of  chin  and 
on  mid- throat  forming  three  nearly  black  spots. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  203 

Old  and  young  become  absolutely  indistinguishable  in  most 
cases,  young  birds  with  the  wing  edgings  perhaps  a  trifle  duller 
and  with  a  yellowish  tinge. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE   acquired  'by    wear   which    is 
marked  and   by  the  end  of  the  breeding  season  the  birds  are  in 
tatters.     The  buff  is  lost  and  the  streaking  below  comes  out  in 
strong  contrast  on  a  white  ground. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  usually  about  the  middle  of  August  and 
completed  before  the  end  of  September.     Old  and  young  can- 
not be  told  apart  with  any  certainty,  adults  however  with   wing 
edgings  that  may  perhaps  average  darker  and  browner  and  the 
throat  markings  blacker.      My  series  of  twenty-three  moulting 
adults  shows  that  age  can  only  be  determined  with  certainty  by 

osteological  characters. 
t 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  as  in  the 

young  bird  with  the  same  results. 

Females. — The  sexes  are  practically  alike  and  the  moults 
identical.  In  first  winter  plumage  females  are  apt  to  be  more 
washed  with  brown  or  to  have  a  yellowish  cast  when  compared 
with  males  in  like  dress.  Females  average  later  in  their  moult 
than  males.  I  have  one  taken  September  22d  that  has  little 
more  than  begun  the  postnuptial  moult. 

Melospiza  lincolnii  (Aud.).     LINCOLN'S  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    a    complete   postnatal 
moult. 

Similar  to  M.  fasciafa,  the  wings  and  tail,  especially  the  edgings  and  the  crown,  a 
little  darker ;  but  not  so  dark  as  M.  georgiana  and  the  chin  faintly  streaked. 

Above,  wood-brown  the  crown  Mar's-brown  divided  by  an  indistinct  dull  olive- 
gray  median  line,  streaked  with  black.  Wings  and  tail  black  edged  chiefly 
with  Mar's-brown,  the  wing  coverts  and  tertiaries  with  wood-brown.  Below, 
white  faintly  yellow  tinged,  washed  with  pale  buff"  across  throat  and  on  sides, 
flanks  and  crissum,  and  streaked  with  black  except  on  the  abdomen,  the  chin 
also  flecked.  Superciliary  stripe  indistinct  and  dull  olive-gray  with  dusky  shaft 
streaks.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky  and  drying  to  a  dull  clay- 
color,  the  upper  mandible  slaty. 


204  DWIGHT 

The  description  is  from  two  specimens  secured  by  me  in  New 
Brunswick,  Canada,  July  I2th,  with  tails  about  one-third 
grown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  August  in  eastern  Canada   which   involves   the  body 
plumage  and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Extremely  like  the  previous  plumage  but  with  a  greenish  tinge  above,  the  edgings 
and  median  crown  stripe  paler.  Below,  whiter,  the  throat  band  deep  pinkish 
buff,  a  like  tint  on  the  malar  bands  which  are  bordered  by  black  rictal  and 
submalar  streaks,  the  sides,  flanks  and  crissum  grayer  buff.  The  streaking s 
below  are  narrow  and  black,  merely  flecking  the  white  chin  and  not  reaching 
the  white  of  the  breast  and  abdomen.  The  superciliary  line  is  deep  olive-buff 
extending  on  the  sides  of  the  neck. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  produces 
very  little  effect.     Birds  become  slightly  grayer  and  of  a  paler 
brown  above  and  the  streakings  below  are  a  little  more  promi- 
nent, the  buff  fading  a  little. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August.     Practically  indistinguishable  from  first 
winter  dress,  the  tertiary   edgings   perhaps   darker  and  all  the 
colors  richer. 

6.  ADULT    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable  in  all 
plumages,  and  the  moults  are  the  same  in  both  sexes. 

Melospiza  georgiana  (Lath.).     SWAMP  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Similar  to  M.  fasdata  but  darker  especially  on  the  crown,  more  washed  with  buff 
below  and  more  narrowly  streaked  with  deeper  black  on  the  throat. 

Above,  cinnamon-brown,  dull  chestnut  on  the  crown,  streaked  with  black.  No  ob- 
vious median  crown  stripe.  Superciliary  line  olive-gray  duskily  spotted. 
Wings  and  tail  black,  edged  largely  with  chestnut,  the  wing  coverts  and  ter- 
tiaries  paler.  Below,  dull  yellowish  white  washed  with  deep  buff  on  sides  of 
chin,  across  jugulum,  on  sides,  flanks  and  crissum  and  narrowly  streaked  with 
black  except  on  the  chin  and  mid-abdomen.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the 
former  becoming  dusky,  the  latter  sepia-brown. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  205 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  the  end  of  August  which   involves   the   body 
plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  usually  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  similar  to  the  previous  plumage,  the  back  and  the  lateral  crown  stripes  show- 
ing more  chestnut ;  a  grayish  nuchal  band.  Below,  unlike  previous  plumage, 
grayish  white,  cinereous  on  throat  obscurely  streaked  with  a  darker  gray, 
washed  on  the  flanks  and  often  on  the  breast  with  olivaceous  wood-brown  ob- 
scurely streaked  or  spotted  with  clove-brown.  Rictal  and  submalar  streaks 
black  bordering  a  grayish  or  yellow  tinged  chin.  Superciliary  line  clear 
olive-gray  or  yellow  tinged  ;  postocular  streak  black  ;  auriculars  bistre. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  crown,  chin  and  throat,  but  not 
the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  amount  of  renewal  varies  accord- 
ing to  individual,  and  may  be  quite  extensive  ;  a  few  feathers  of 
most   of   the  body  tracts  are   usually   renewed.       Early   April 
specimens  from  the  south  show  the  prenuptial  moult  in  progress. 
The  chestnut  cap  with  black  forehead,  white  chin,  and  clear  cin- 
ereous gray  of  the  throat,  sides  of  head  and  neck  are  assumed, 
and  a  nearly  complete  renewal  is  indicated  in  some  cases  judg- 
ing by  the  freshness  of  the  feather  borders. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August   and   September.      Practically  indistin- 
guishable in  many  cases  from  first  winter,  but  usually  with  more 
chestnut  on  the  crown,  the  superciliary  line  and  sides  of  neck 
a  clearer  darker  gray,  the  chin  not  yellow  tinged  but  white  and 
a  grayer  cast  of  plumage  everywhere  perceptible. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenup- 
tial moult  as  in  the  young  bird.     It  seems  to  me  that  unless  the 
crown  feathers   are  renewed  by  moult,  more  specimens  would 
show  the  black  terminal  spot  which  on  feathers  of  the  winter 
plumage  reaches  to  the  forking  of  the  first  pair  of  barbs.      It 
is  not  an  easy  point  to  determine  in  species  showing  great  wear, 
although  the  line  of  demarcation  between  areas  of  old  and  new 
feathers  is  usually  marked. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable  in  all 
plumages,  but  the  female  is  usually  duller  and  browner,  the 
crown  with  less  chestnut  and  more  streaked  especially  in  the 
autumn.  The  prenuptial  moult  is  more  limited. 


206  DWIGHT 

Passer ella  iliaca  (Merr.).     Fox  SPARROW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  no  doubt  by  a  complete  post- 
natal moult.     I   have  been  unable   to   obtain  any  specimens   at 
this   stage,  but  judging  by  P.  iliaca  unalaschensis  the  plumage 
probably  resembles  the  first  winter  dress,  being   browner  with 
paler  edgings  and  more  streaks  above,  and  darker  with  heavier 
dusky  streaking  below.     The  wings  and  tail  (as  seen  in  the  next 
plumage)  are  clove-brown  with  walnut-brown  edgings,  the  wing 
coverts  probably  with  more  buff  than  in  first  winter  plumage. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts  but 
not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  olive-brown,  streaked  broadly  with  burnt-umber,  the  wing  coverts  walnut- 
brown,  darker  on  inner  webs  and  tipped  faintly  with  pale  buff.  Below  white, 
the  sides  of  the  chin,  the  breast,  the  sides  and  flanks  broadly  streaked  with 
walnut-brown,  the  streaks  coalescing  on  the  sides  of  the  chin  and  mid-throat  ; 
the  anterior  part  of  the  abdomen  with  dusky  spots. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  produces 
slight  changes.     A  few  new  feathers  are  usually  acquired  about 
the  chin  in  March,  possibly  the  beginning  of  a  more  extensive 
moult.     My  latest  spring  specimen  is  April  8th. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial   moult.      Practically  indistinguishable   from   first  winter 
dress. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  correspond  al- 
though females  may  average  duller  in  colors. 

Pipilo  erythrophthalmus  (Linn.).     TOWHEE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  clove-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  cinnamon-brown  (often  darker)  somewhat  ob- 
scurely striped,  broadly  on  the  back,  more  narrowly  on  the  crown,  with  deep 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  207 

olive-brown.  Wings  dull  black,  the  primaries  with  edgings  and  a  patch  at 
their  bases  white,  the  tertiaries  with  broad  edgings  of  buff  and  walnut-brown, 
the  innermost  white  edged,  the  wing  coverts  with  buff  or  pale  cinnamon  edg- 
ings. Tail  deeper  black  than  the  wings,  the  three  outer  rectrices  with  sub- 
terminal  areas  of  white.  Below,  dull  white,  strongly  washed  with  buff  or  pale 
yellow,  cinnamon  tinged  on  breast,  flanks  and  crissum,  and  streaked  on  the 
throat  and  sides  with  dull  black.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former  becom- 
ing slaty  black,  the  latter  dusky  sepia-brown.  Iris,  sepia-brown  becoming 
deep  red  during  the  winter. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  middle  of  August,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage,  the  wing  coverts,  the  tertiaries  and  the  tail  but  not  the 
primaries,  their  coverts,  and  the  secondaries.     Young  and  old 
become  almost  indistinguishable  except  by  the  browner  primary 
coverts  of  the  young  birds. 

Whole  head,  throat,  breast,  back,  rump,  wing  coverts  and  tertiaries  jet  black  ;  ab- 
domen pure  white,  the  sides  and  flanks  rich  chestnut,  the  crissum  cinnamon. 
The  upper  tail  coverts  are  usually  edged  with  cinnamon  and  the  back  sometimes 
has  obscure  Vandyke-brown  edgings.  The  tertiary  endings  are  pale  buff  with 
walnut,  those  of  the  inner  tertiary  nearly  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  marked 
by  the  end  of  the  breeding  season  producing  a  ragged  plumage, 
but  the  black  areas  do  not  fade  perceptibly  and  the  chestnut  flanks 
fade  but  very  little.     The  brown  primary  coverts  are  the  distin- 
guishing feature  of  young  birds. 

5.  ADULT   WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult   beginning   early   in  August.      Differs   from   first 
winter  dress  chiefly  in  the  blacker  wings,  especially  the  primary 
coverts  and  deeper  wing  edgings.     Old  and  young  now  become 
indistinguishable. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  and  differ- 
ing from  first  nuptial  by  black  instead  of  brown  primary  coverts. 
A  few  feathers  may  be  assumed  by  moult  on  the  chin  and  else- 
where, but  they  are  insignificant  in  numbers. 

Female. — In  juvenal  plumage  olive- brown  wings  and  tail  re- 
place the  black  ones  of  the  male.  The  first  winter  plumage, 
acquired  by  a  moult  of  similar  extent  to  that  of  the  male,  differs 
in  having  the  head,  back,  throat  and  breast,  brown  instead  of 
black.  Adult  and  young  females  cannot  be  distinguished  in  this 


208  ,         DWIGHT 

plumage.  The  first  nuptial  is  acquired  by  wear  and  the  adult 
winter  by  a  complete  postnuptial  moult.  Subsequent  plumages 
do  not  differ,  females  never  assuming  the  black  areas  of  the 
male. 

Cardinalis  cardinalis  (Linn.)     CARDINAL 

1.  NATAL  Down.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  sepia-brown,  wings  darker  and  suffused  with  dull  dragon's-blood  and  brick- 
red,  the  tail,  crest  and  forehead  largely  brick-red,  traces  of  black  on  lores  and 
chin.  Below  wood-brown,  cinnamon  tinged  on  throat,  sides  and  flanks.  Bill 
and  feet  pinkish  buff  assuming  when  dry  a  dusky  clay-color. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a   complete   post- 
juvenal  moult  beginning  about  the  middle  of  August. 

The  scarlet  plumage,  practically  indistinguishable  from  the  adult,  is  assumed,  but  it 
is  usually  much  veiled  with  olive-gray.  The  bill  assumes  the  reddish  color  of 
the  adult  later. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  produces 
little  difference  in  the  color  except  that  the  red  is  more  prominent 
through  loss  of  the  gray  edgings. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Practically   indistinguishable  from    first    winter 
dress,  but  with  less  veiling,  and  a  reddish  bill. 

Female. — The  moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  but  after  the  Juvenal  plumage,  in  which  the  sexes  are 
alike,  is  put  aside,  females  are  distinguishable  by  their  brown- 
ish dress  brightened  with  dull  red.  The  black  of  the  head  is 
always  dull. 

Habia  ludoviciana  (Linn.).     ROSE-BREASTED  GROSBEAK 

1.  NATAL  Dow^.     White. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  the  head,  olive-brown  with  cinnamon  and  whitish  edgings. 
Wings  and  tail  darker,  a  white  area  at  the  base  of  the  primaries,  the  rectrices 
faintly  buff  tipped,  the  coverts  edged  with  buff  forming  two  nearly  white  wing 
bands.  Below,  pure  white  usually  a  few  olive-brown  streaks  on  the  sides  of 
the  chin  and  throat.  Broad  superciliary  lines  and  central  crown  stripe  white, 
buffy  tinged.  The  edge  of  the  wing  is  of  a  pale  rose-pink  ;  under  wing 
coverts  duller,  salmon  tinged.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NE^W  YORK  209 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  the  middle  of  August,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Above,  raw  umber  streaked  with  clove-brown  darkest  on  the  pileum  which  has  a 
central  buff  stripe,  the  feathers  white  at  their  bases.  Below,  ochraceous  buff, 
white  on  chin  and  abdomen,  streaked  on  throat,  breast  and  sides  with  clove- 
brown  ;  a  geranium-pink  area  on  the  jugulum  veiled  with  ochraceous  buff. 
Auriculars  sepia  bordered  with  clove-brown.  Superciliary  stripe  and  suborbital 
region  white,  tinged  with  buff,  the  lores  grayish  buff.  The  under  wing  coverts 
bright  geranium-pink,  those  of  the  edge  of  the  wing  black  spotted,  the  lesser 
coverts  or  "  shoulders  "  with  a  carmine  tinge.  Two  wing  bands  buff. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult,  late  in  the  winter  as  indicated  by  South  American  speci- 
mens, which  involves  the  body  plumage,  the  tertiaries,  most  of 
the  wing  coverts  and  the  tail,  leaving  often  only  the  brown  and 
worn  primaries,  their  coverts  and  the  secondaries. 

Above,  including  sides  of  the  head  and  neck,  wing  coverts,  tertiaries  and  tail, 
black  the  body  feathers  with  broad  buff  or  wood-brown  edgings,  the  coverts 
and  tertiaries  tipped  with  white,  the  three  outer  rectrices  with  large  white 
terminal  spots.  The  throat  has  a  large  geranium-red  or  pale  crimson  patch 
extending  into  the  chin  and  down  the  middle]  of  the  throat.  Less  vigorous 
individuals  may  assume  a  body  plumage  largely  veiled  with  brown,  a  small 
area  of  crimson,  and  only  stray  rectrices  or  wing  coverts  here  and  there  are 
replaced  by  black  ones. 

The  individual  variation  is  great  and  all  sorts  of  mixed 
plumages  may  be  seen,  the  brown,  worn  wings  and  other  left- 
over feathers  showing  such  specimens  to  be  young  birds. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  early  in  August.     Easily  distinguishable  from  first 
winter  dress  by  the  jet  black  wings  and  tail.     Adults  are  less 
veiled,  the  brown  deeper  and  the  carmine  more  extensive  often  cov- 
ering the  whole  throat  and  breast  and  invading  the  abdomen  and 
the  crown.     A  few  black  spots  laterally  replace  the  streaking  of 
the  young  bird.     The  wing  edgings  are  whiter  than  those  of  the 
first  winter  dress.     Young  and  old  become  practically  indistin- 
guishable except  that  some  of  the  less  vigorous  individuals  may 
be  deficient  in  depth  of  color. 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Oct.  i,  1900 — 14. 


210  DWIGHT 

i 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  but  not  the  wings  nor 
the  tail.  Distinguishable  from  first  nuptial  by  the  black  wings 
and  worn  tail.  The  retained  tertiaries  and  secondaries -become 
much  worn  and  the  terminal  spots  are  gradually  lost  often  leav- 
ing gaps  in  their  place. 

Female. — The  female  is  streaked  with  brown  and  possesses 
salmon-colored  or  cadmium-yellow  under  wing  coverts  in  all 
plumages.  In  first  winter  plumage,  lacking  the  pink  throat  of 
the  male  ;  the  under  wing  coverts,  regularly  cadmium-yellow. 
The  nuptial  plumages  are  acquired  by  wear  alone  or  by  a  very 
limited  prenuptial  moult. 


Guiraca  caerulea  (Linn.).     BLUE  GROSBEAK 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Brownish  mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  bistre,  grayish  on  the  rump,  russet  tinged  on  the  pileum,  the  feathers  with 
wood-brown  or  russet  edgings.  Wings  and  tail  dull  clove-brown,  with  wood- 
brown  edgings,  two  indistinct  wing  bands  and  narrow  tipping  of  the  tail  buff. 
Below  rich  clay-color,  pale  buff  on  the  chin,  abdomen  and  crissum.  Bill  and 
feet  dusky  pinkish  buff  becoming  darker 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  August,  which  involves  body  plumage 
and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage  the  browns  everywhere  darker  and  richer  especially 
noticeable  on  the  median  wing  coverts  which  become  deep  hazel,  the  crissum 
which  becomes  cinnamon  or  dusky-streaked  and  the  lores  which  are  dull  sepia- 
brown. 

Further  material  may  show  that  a  few  blue  feathers  are  as- 
sumed by  some  young  males,  at  this  moult. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves   a  variable  amount   of  the  brown  body 
plumage  and  wing  coverts,  the  tail  wholly  or  in  part  and  ap- 
parently the  outer  primaries  in  some  cases.     A  mixture  of  brown 
and  blue  results,  the  key  to  the  age  of  a  specimen  being  the  re- 
tained brown  primary  coverts.     The  moult  must  occur  in  mid- 
winter judging  by  the  worn  condition  of  spring  specimens. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  211 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired    by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult.     The  full  blue  plumage  is  assumed,  veiled  with 
cinnamon   feather  tips   on   the   head   and   back,  a  deeper  band 
across   the   throat,   these   edgings  very  pale   elsewhere   below. 
The  wings  are  black  with  blue  edgings,  those  of  the  lesser  and 
median  coverts  rich  chestnut,  of  the  greater  coverts  paler,  of  the 
tertiaries  still  paler ;  the  tail  darker  than  the  wings    and  with 
deeper  blue  edgings,  the  outer  pair  of  rectrices  narrowly  tipped 
with  white.     The  lores  are  black. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
the  veiling  is  usually  wholly  lost,  birds  becoming  almost  com- 
pletely blue  except  the  wings  and  tail.     The  prenuptial  moult  of 
the  first  year  is  evidently  not  repeated. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  but  the  female 
never  acquires  much  blue,  remaining  in  a  brown  plumage  like 
the  male  first  winter.  In  first  winter  plumage  the  female  is 
pale  cinnamon-brown  darkest  on  the  head  and  palest  below 
and  on  the  rump ;  the  wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown  ;  the 
wing  bands  pale  chestnut,  the  one  at  tips  of  greater  coverts 
paler.  The  first  nuptial  plumage,  assumed  almost  wholly  by 
wear,  is  paler,  the  brown  fading.  The  adult  winter  plumage 
usually  shows  a  bluish  tint  in  the  wing  edgings,  the  wings  and 
tail  being  darker  than  in  first  winter  dress.  More  mature  birds 
may  show  blue  feathers  on  the  rump,  crown,  sides  of  head,  sides 
of  throat  and  across  the  jugulum  but  do  not  often  acquire  a 
plumage  as  bright  as  that  of  the  male  in  first  nuptial  plumage. 

Passerina  cyanea  (Linn.).     INDIGO  BUNTING 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Brownish  mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  dark  sepia-brown,  wings  darker,  the  primaries  and 
secondaries  edged  with  pale  wood-brown,  the  coverts  and  tertiaries  with  pale 
cinnamon.  Tail  pale  clove-brown,  more  or  less  faintly  edged  with  greenish  or 
glaucous  blue.  Below,  dull  white,  washed  with  raw  umber-brown  on  breast, 
sides  and  crissum  and  narrowly  streaked  with  sepia  on  the  breast  and  sides. 
Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former  becoming  dusky,  the  latter  dull  black 
with  age. 


212  DWIGHT 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  late  in  August  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age, the  'wing  coverts,  sometimes  the  tail  and  sometimes  five  or 
six  distal  primaries. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  with  very  indistinct  streaking  and  whiter  below, 
and  not  so  brown  above.  Above,  bistre  often  washed  with  Mars-brown,  the 
rump  and  upper  tail  coverts  often  dull  blue,  brown  edged,  the  wing  coverts  edged 
with  cinnamon  or  russet,  the  lesser  often  with  a  bluish  tinge,  the  others  nearly 
black,  blue  tinged.  Below,  dull  white,  washed  on  breast,  sides  and  crissum 
with  wood-brown,  often  russet  tinged  and  indistinctly  streaked  with  olive-gray. 

The  renewal  of  the  tail  and  primaries  is  a  fact  shown  by  several 
specimens  in  moult  and  can  probably  be  laid  to  individual  preco- 
city of  southern-bred  birds.  Mr.  Wm.  Palmer  has  loaned  me  two 
young  birds  (Nos.  3283,  Sept.  i/th,  and  3655,  Oct.  2d)  taken  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  both  showing  a  postjuvenal  moult  in  the  rem- 
iges  and  rectrices  nearly  completed,  and  I  have  seen  a  few  other 
similar  birds. 

Dull  blue  feathers  veiled  with  brown  edgings  are  found  spar- 
ingly on  the  chin  and  throats  of  some  specimens,  these  birds 
also  showing  precocity  by  bluer  wing  coverts.  At  this  moult 
the  tail  and  part  of  the  flight  feathers  sometimes  acquire  their 
blue  edgings,  although  this  renewal  is  apt  to  be  deferred  till 
late  in  the  winter.  A  similar  moult  takes  place  in  some  Song 
Sparrows  (J/.  fasciatd)  but  never  deferred  till  winter.  A  new 
body  feather  and  a  worn  one  of  this  plumage  are  figured  (plate 
VI,  figs.  1  and  2)  as  they  appear  under  the  microscope,  but 
owing  to  difficulties  in  reproduction,  fig".  2  does  not  resemble 
fig.  1  as  closely  as  the  feathers  themselves  resemble  each  other. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  chiefly  in  February  and  March  which  involves  a  varying 
number  of  body  feathers,  the  tail,  five  or  six  of  the  distal  primaries 
sometimes  all  (but  not  their  coverts  except  in  some  cases  the 
first),  most  of  the  wing  coverts,  the  tertiaries  and  perhaps  a  stray 
secondary,  less  often  all  of  them.     Two  specimens  (U.  S.  Nat. 
Mus.,   Nos.    107844  and    107845)   taken    March    nth   in   the 
Bahamas  shows  actual  moult  of  the  body  plumage,  coverts,  pri- 
maries and  tail,  the  brown  primary  coverts  remaining,  and  a  num- 
ber of  other   specimens   (many  unfortunately  without   dates  on 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  213 

the  labels)  from  Central  and  South  America  and  the  West  Indies, 
show  abundantly  the  growth  of  new  feathers,  at  the  prenuptial 
moult,  when  the  greatest  complications  of  plumage  regularly 
arise,  not  only  in  this  species  but  in  many  others.  In  precocious 
individuals  the  renewal  may  be  nearly  complete  except  usually 
the  primary  coverts,  secondaries  and  abdominal  feathers  and 
there  is  an  almost  unbroken  series  to  individuals  that  have  only 
renewed  a  feather  here  and  there.  This  moult  produces  a  variety 
of  birds,  all  with  brown  primary  coverts,  some  specimens  being  as 
bright  blue  as  are  adults;  usually,  the  new  blue  body  feathers,  un- 
worn and  of  peculiarly  slender  barbs  sometimes  white  tipped,  are 
mixed  in  with  the  bleached  much  abraded  feathers  of  the  first  win- 
ter plumage.  One  of  them  is  figured  on  plate  VI,  fig".  3.  Abra- 
sion of  the  lower  parts  brings  into  view  the  dull  blue  or  gray 
bases  of  the  old  feathers,  the  buff  edgings  of  which  become  faded 
and  nearly  white.  Two  kinds  of  blue  feathers  are  therefore 
found  not  only  here  but  on  the  rump  and  head,  one  bright  and 
riew  the  other  dull  and  worn.  The  renewal  of  the  wing  coverts 
is  very  often  incomplete  and  a  mixture  of  blue  and  brown  results. 
The  most  surprising  renewal  is  that  of  the  distal  primaries  with- 
out their  primary  c&verts,  four  to  six  being  renewed  sometimes 
asymmetrically  in  the  two  wings  by  quills  that  have  blue  edgings 
of  various  depth  of  color  in  contrast  to  the  older  and  more 
worn  ones  adjacent.  Five  or  six  seems  to  be  the  usual  number 
replaced,  and  their  color  is  regularly  darker  than  the  old  ones. 
A  new  black  tail  edged  with  blue  is  assumed  unless  it  has  already 
been  acquired  at  the  postjuvenal  moult.  Dull  white  feathers  fre- 
quently appear  on  the  chin.  The  bill  becomes  slaty.  It  is  natural 
to  assume  that  birds  which  acquired  new  wings  and  tail  in  the 
autumn  are  the  worn  duller  specimens  we  find  in  May,  while 
the  brighter  less  worn  birds  are  those  which  have  acquired  these 
feathers  at  a  more  recent  date.  Both  classes  show  recent  growth 
of  the  blue  body  feathers,  and  the  slenderness  of  the  barbs  of 
nuptial  feathers  as  compared  with  the  blunter  ones  of  the  winter 
dress  ought  effectually  to  dispose  of  the  superfluous  idea  that 
color  change  without  moult  can  take  place  in  this  species. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult. 


214  DWIGHT 

Strikingly  different  from  first  winter  dress  in  the  depth  and  richness  of  the  brown 
and  the  marked  blueness  of  the  wings  and  tail.  Above,  Mars-  or  mummy- 
brown  .conceals  the  dull  blue  bases  of  the  feathers  except  where  these  are 
less  broadly  tipped  as  on  the  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts.  Below,  the  brown 
is  paler  and  chiefly  on  the  breast  and  sides,  veiling  bases  that  are  cerulean-blue. 
The  chin,  abdomen  and  crissum  are  almost  white  displaying  better  the  con- 
cealed blue.  The  wings  and  tail  are  black,  edged  with  blue,  the  tertiaries  and 
coverts  with  Mars-brown,  and  the  lesser  coverts  are  almost  wholly  bright  blue, 
the  others  tinged  with  a  darker  shade ;  the  primary  coverts  are  black,  edged 
wTith  blue  which  is  apparently  pale  in  the  less  precocious  birds  and  deeper  in 
those  more  vigorous. 

Adults  and  young  become  practically  indistinguishable.  The 
birds  with  the  brighter  wing  edgings  are  probably  birds  more 
than  one  year  old  or  possibly  more  vigorous  individuals. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  most  of  the  body  plumage,  part  of  the  wing 
coverts  and  tertiaries,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 
The  less  vigorous  birds  retain  old  worn  wing  coverts  or  stray 
feathers  scattered  especially  on  the  abdomen  and  crissum,  else- 
where assuming  a  greenish  blue  plumage  purplish  on  the  head. 
The  structure  of  these  feathers  differs  from  those  assumed  at  the 
postnuptial  moult  as  may  be  seen  under  the  microscope,  but  does 
not  differ  from  those  acquired  at  the  first  prenuptial  moult  (see 
plate  VI,  fig.  3).  The  blue  of  the  head  is  always  deeper  than 
elsewhere,  and  the  feathers  of  the  lores  and  interramal  space  are 
black.  Wear  of  adult  birds  has  very  likely  given  rise  to  the  idea 
of  a  color  change  without  moult,  as  they  do  become  preceptibly 
bluer  in  a  cage  from  gradual  loss  of  the  brown  autumnal  edg- 
ings which  conceal  the  blue  beneath. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  of  the  female  correspond 
to  those  of  the  male,  the  prenuptial  moult,  especially  the  first,  ap- 
parently limited  or  sometimes  suppressed.  In  Juvenal  plumage 
practically  indistinguishable  from  the  male,  but  with  little  or  no 
greenish  or  bluish  tint  in  the  tail.  In  first  winter  plumage 
browner  than  the  male  and  lacking  the  blue  tinge  usually  pres- 
ent. In  first  nuptial  plumage  (which  is  in  many  cases  appar- 
ently the  result  of  wear)  a  greenish  tail  and  few  greenish  edged 
primaries  are  assumed  together  with  a  few  whitish  feathers  be- 
low. In  adult  winter  plumage,  similar  to  first  winter,  but 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  215 

with  the  wings  and  tail  greenish  edged,  and  lower  parts  less  ob- 
viously streaked.  The  adult  nuptial  plumage  is  attained  chiefly 
by  wear. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  there  is  not  the  slightest  evi- 
dence of  the  color  change  without  moult  that  has  been  claimed  in 
this  species.  I  have  examined  large  series  which  show  the  tran- 
sition stages  from  one  plumage  to  another  and  such  evidence  of 
an  abnormal  color  change  as  has  hitherto  been  offered  does  not 
accord  with  the  simple  facts. 

Passerina  ciris  (Linn.).     PAINTED  BUNTING 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    a    complete    postnatal 
moult. 

Above,  olive-brown.  Wings  dull  clove-brown  with  sage-green  edgings,  brownish 
on  the  coverts.  Tail  dull  olive-green.  Below,  pale  grayish  drab  washed  with 
buff  most  marked  posteriorly.  Orbital  ring  pale  buff.  Bill  umber-brown,  the 
upper  mandible  darker.  Feet  dark  sepia  in  dried  specimens. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  postju venal  moult 
which  seems  to  be  complete,  one  specimen  from  South  Carolina 
taken  October  1 3th  being  in  this  dress. 

Above,  bright  olive-green  or  oil-green.  Wings  and  tail  deeper  brown  than  in 
juvenal  dress,  the  coverts  wholly  oil-green  and  the  remiges  and  rectrices  edged 
with  a  slightly  paler  shade.  Below,  olive-yellow  becoming  maize-yellow 
posteriorly  and  dull  lemon  anteriorly.  Orbital  ring  lemon-yellow. 

Judging  by  spring  specimens  the  individual  variation  is  con- 
siderable, some  being  yellower  and  some  greener,  a  few  acquire 
a  blue  feather  or  two  about  the  head  and  others  even  a  few 
reddish  feathers  below. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.    Young  males 
at  this  stage  resemble  the  average  adult  female  but  may  usually 
be  distinguished    from    them    by  browner    more  worn   primary 
coverts  which  do  not  show  greenish  edgings  and  are  possibly  the 
retained  juvenal  coverts. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     The  brilliant  colors  of  this  species  are  assumed 


216  DWIGHT 

by  both  young  and  old,  but  it  is  probable  that  year-old  birds  do 
not  acquire  remiges  and  coverts  wholly  claret  tinged  like  adults. 
This  accounts  for  the  green  feathers  mixed  with  the  others  in 
many  specimens  in  which  all  the  feathers  are  equally  worn.  The 
claret  and  the  greenish  remiges  and  the  body  plumage  are 
equally  fresh  in  November  birds.  The  claret  tinged  tail  is  first 
assumed  at  this  moult. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.  It  is  prob- 
able that  all  birds  with  stray  green  remiges  are  birds  of  the  second 
nuptial  stage,  those  with  all  of  the  remiges  claret  tinged  of  the 
third  nuptial.  The  primary  coverts  are  usually  claret  tinged  at 
both  stages  and  unlike  the  brown  ones  of  the  first  nuptial  period. 
The  full  adult  dress  is  certainly  assumed  at  the  second  post- 
nuptial moult  and  in  some  cases,  if  not  many,  probably  at  the 
first. 

Female. — -The  moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  wings  and  tail  are  duller  ;  in 
first  winter  dress,  relative  dullness  prevails  but  the  sexes  scarcely 
differ,  and  the  first  nuptial  assumed  by  wear  is  characterized  by 
worn  brown  primary  coverts  as  in  the  male.  At  the  first  post- 
nuptial moult  females  assume  bright  green  edged  remiges, 
rectrices  and  primary  coverts  and  are  even  greener  above  and 
yellower  below  than  males  in  first  winter  dress.  At  the  second 
postnuptial  moult  or  later  ones  birds  tend  toward  the  plumage 
of  the  male  developing  blue  or  dull  red  feathers  where  brighter 
areas  occur  in  the  male. 

It  follows  that  many  males  cannot  be  certainly  distinguished 
from  females  by  plumage  characters,  but  the  absence  of  mixed 
plumages  of  old  and  new  feathers,  as  found  in  Passerina  cyanea, 
disproves  any  semiannual  moult  as  in  the  latter  species. 

Spiza  americana  (Gmel.).     DICKCISSEL 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  clay- color,  a  few  broad  dull  black  stripes  on  the  back,  the  crown  bordered 
laterally  with  obscure  black  stripes.     Wings  and  tail  dull  black,  the  primaries 


PASSERINE  BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  217 

and  rectriees  with  whitish,  the  secondaries  with  cinnamon,  the  tertiaries  and 
coverts  (including  two  paler  wing  bands)  with  clay-colored  edgings.  Below, 
cream-buff,  clay- colored  across  throat,  on  sides  and  crissum.  Superciliary 
stripe  ochraceous  buff,  auriculars  sepia-brown ;  lores,  rictal  and  submalar 
stripes  dusky.  Bill  and  feet  pale  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult  beginning   in  Kansas   early   in   July  which  involves  the 
body  plumage,  wing  coverts,  and  tertiaries,  but  not  the   rest  of 
the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage.  Above,  including  auriculars  sepia  or  wood-brown 
narrowly  and  obscurely  streaked  on  the  pileum  and  broadly  on  the  back  with 
black ;  the  tertiaries  edged  with  cinnamon  ;  the  wing  coverts  almost  entirely 
cinnamon-rufous  or  rich  russet.  Below,  the  chin  and  abdomen  pale  buff, 
the  throat,  sides  and  crissum  deep  wood-brown  with  obscure  narrow  black 
streaks,  two  more  distinct  streaks  bordering  the  chin  laterally.  Superciliary  and 
malar  stripes  and  usually  the  jugulum  dull  ochre-yellow  sometimes  brighter, 
"  edge  of  the  wing  "  lemon-yellow;  lores  and  subocular  streak  grayish. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  in   March  and  early  April  in  Texas  which  involves  the 
head,  throat  and  breast,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  body  nor  the 
wings  and  tail. 

The  grayish  pileum  tinged  anteriorly  with  yellow,  the  plum- 
beous auriculars  and  bright  lemon  of  the  superciliary  and  malar 
stripes  and  of  the  breast  and  mid-abdomen,  the  white  chin  and  the 
black  throat  patch  are  acquired  by  moult,  the  browns  of  the 
winter  dress  becoming  gray  from  marked  wear.  The  amount 
of  black  and  of  yellow  is  variable ;  I  have  seen  two  specimens 
with  the  throat  patch  Mars-brown.  Young  and  old  become 
practically  indistinguishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Differs  from  first  winter  chiefly  in  possessing  a 
veiled  black  throat  patch  smaller  than  in  nuptial  dress.     Adults 
have  more  yellow  and  richer  grayer  wing  edgings  than  young 
birds. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the   male.      In  Juvenal    plumage  females    are  indistinguishable 


218  DWIGHT 

from  males.  The  first  nuptial  is  acquired  by  a  limited  prenup- 
tial  moult.  In  subsequent  plumages  the  throat  remains  pale 
brown  with  lateral  black  chin  streaks  without  the  black  patch  of 
the  male  and  the  colors  elsewhere  are  regularly  duller. 

Calamospiza  melanocorys  (Stejn.)     LARK  BUNTING. 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray.' 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  clove-brown,  the  feathers  with  broad  wood-brown  edgings  which  are  darker 
on  the  crown  and  rump  and  form  an  indistinct  median  stripe  on  the  crown. 
Wings  deep  olive-brown,  the  outer  primaries  usually  dull  black,  everywhere  rather 
broadly  edged  with  white,  including  the  secondaries  and  the  primary  coverts  ; 
the  greater  coverts  largely  pinkish  buff,  forming  a  broad  wing  band.  Tail  dull 
black  tipped  with  white  spots,  the  outer  pair  of  rectrices  edged  with  white,  the 
the  others  with  cinnamon.  Below,  white,  tinged  with  cream-buff  and  streaked, 
except  on  the  abdomen,  with  dull  clove-brown.  Auriculars  and  lores  dusky. 
Bill  and  feet  in  dried  .specimen,  clay-color. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but 
not  the  remiges  nor  rectrices. 

Above,  olive-brown  with  darker  streakings.  Below,  white,  streaked  with  clove- 
brown,  least  on  crissum,  abdomen  and  throat,  but  the  streaks  aggregating  into 
a  blotch  on  the  breast.  The  chin  dull  black,  entirely  veiled  with  broad  white 
edgings.  The  greater  coverts  pale  cinnamon  forming  a  broad  wing  band.  The 
tertiaries  and  other  wing  coverts  are  edged  with  deep  cinnamon. 

Some  young  birds  become  indistinguishable  from  adults. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  in  April  in  Arizona  which  involves  most  of  the  body  plu- 
mage, tertiaries  and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings 
nor  the  tail.     The  jet-black  dress  is  assumed,  relieved  by  white 
bands  on  the  wings.     Browner   and  more  worn  remiges  with 
traces  of  the  edgings  partly  worn  off  distinguish  young  birds 
from  old,  this  feature  being   especially  marked  among  the  pri- 
mary coverts. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE    acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  occurring  during  September  in  Mexico. 

The  wings  and   tail   are   much   blacker  than  the   first  winter 
dress  and  lack  almost  wholly  the  edgings  of  this  period.     The 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  219 

edgings  of  the  throat  are  less  extensive  and  consequently  the 
chin  is  distinctly  black,  the  color  extending  to  the  breast  more 
or  less.  The  wing  bands  are  a  deeper  cinnamon  and  so  too 
the  edgings  of  the  tertiaries. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  most  of  the  body  plumage  as  in  the  young 
bird  from  which  it  may  be  distinguished  by  the  blacker  remiges 
and  rectrices  with  absence  of  edgings. 

Female. — The  moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  Practically  indistinguishable  from  the  male  in  Juvenal 
and  in  first  winter  plumage,  although  rather  duller,  and  with 
narrower  wing  bands.  All  later  plumages  resemble  that  of  the 
male  in  first  winter  dress,  but  some  of  the  older  birds  are  much 
blacker  and  with  broader  streakings. 

TANAGRIDJE 

The  Tanagers  are  peculiar  in  their  moults  as  might  be  ex- 
pected with  such  highly  colored  birds.  P.  erytkromelas  acquires 
the  full  red  plumage  at  the  first  prenuptial  moult,  goes  back  to 
a  greenish  dress  at  the  postnuptial  and  continues  to.  undergo  a 
semi-annual  moult  regularly  from  green  to  red  in  spring  and  from 
red  to  green  in  fall.  P.  ludoviciana  also  moults  twice  every 
year.  P.  rubra,  on  the  other  hand,  has  but  one  prenuptial  moult, 
a  mere  scattering  of  red  feathers  very  often,  and  afterwards  con- 
tinues in  the  red  plumage  renewed  only  at  the  postnuptial  moult. 

Piranga  ludoviciana  (Wils.).     LOUISIANA  TANAGER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  yellowish  green  obscurely  streaked.  Wings  and  tail  dull  black,  edged 
with  olive-yellow,  forming  on  the  coverts  two  wing  bands.  Below,  pale  yel- 
low with  dusky  streaks  on  the  breast,  similar  to  the  young  of  other  Tanagers. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  in  July  in  California,  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 


220  DWIGHT 

Differs  from  previous  plumage  in  being  unstreaked  and  brighter  colored.  Above, 
olive-yellow,  brownish  on  the  back,  the  wing  bands  strongly  tinged  with 
lemon-yellow,  the  one  at  tips  of  greater  coverts  palest.  Below,  clear  lemon- 
yellow,  a  slight  orange  tinge  often  on  forehead  and  chin. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which   involves  most    of  the  body  plumage,   tail,  wing 
coverts  and  tertiaries.     The  coverts  as  in  other  species  are  ir- 
regularly   renewed,   the   brown  worn  primaries,   their   coverts, 
the  alulae  and  secondaries  in  contrast  to  the  new   coverts  and 
tertiaries  which  are  black,  edged  with  canary-yellow  and  white 
respectively.     The  back   is  black  with  smoke-gray  edgings  and 
the  rest  of  the  plumage  canary-yellow  of  variable  depth  accord- 
ing to  individual  variation,  the  forehead  and  chin  more   or   less 
bright  with  cadmium-orange. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  and  similar  to  first  winter  dress  but  of  a  richer  yel- 
low with  jet-black  wings  and  tail,  the  back  black,  with  bright 
olive-green   edgings,  the   head   and   chin  usually   more  deeply 
tinged  with   orange,  sometimes  with  dusky  edgings  on  sides  of 
the  chin  and  jugulum.    Young  and  old  become  indistinguishable. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  the  same  body  areas  as  in  the  young  bird 
but  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  consequently  old  and  young  may 
be  told  apart  during  the  breeding  season  by  the  brown  wings  of 
the  young  bird,  black  ones  of  the  old.     An   undated   specimen 
from  Orizaba,  Mexico  (Coll.  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist,   No.  40842) 
shows  new  nuptial  feathers  pushing  from  their  sheaths  on  the 
crown,  throat  and  back,  the  wings  proving  it  to  be  an  adult. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  The  Juvenal  dress  is  practically  indistinguishable 
from  that  of  the  male.  The  first  winter  plumage  is  rather  duller, 
being  browner  above  and  paler  below.  The  first  nuptial  plu- 
mage is  acquired  by  a  very  limited  prenuptial  moult,  such  wing 
coverts  as  are  acquired  being  duller  than  those  of  the  male  and 
the  few  orange-tinged  feathers  paler,  the  whole  bird  paler  and 
grayish.  The  adult  winter  plumage  is  brighter  than  the  first 
winter,  and  in  adult  nuptial  plumage  a  few  orange  feathers  may 
appear  acquired  by  prenuptial  moult. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  221 

Piranga  erythomelas  Vieill.     SCARLET  TANAGER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  olive-yellow,  including  sides  of  head  and  neck,  the  back  greener  with  dusky 
edgings.  Wings  and  tail  dull  brownish  black,  the  secondaries,  wing  coverts* 
tertiaries  and  rectrices  edged  with  olive-yellow,  whitish  on  the  tertiaries  and 
primaries.  Below,  dull  white,  sulphur-yellow  on  the  abdomen  and  crissum, 
broadly  streaked  on  the  breast  and  sides  with  grayish  olive-brown.  Bill, 

,  pinkish  buff,  slate-black  when  older.  Feet  pinkish  olive-gray,  dusky  when 
older.  Differs  from  P.  ludoviciana  in  the  crown  being  darker  and  lacking 
distinct  wing  bands. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  the  middle  of  August  which  involves  the  body 
plumage,  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings 
nor  the  tail. 

Differs  from  previous  plumage  chiefly  in  being  unstreaked.  Above,  including  sides 
of  head  deep  olive-yellow  or  pale  olive-green.  Below,  citron-yellow.  The 
wing  coverts  are  jet-black  edged  with  olive-yellow,  but  frequently  only  a  part  of 
them  are  renewed. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  probably  in   March  and  April  which  involves  the  body 
plumage,   wing   coverts,   tertiaries    and    the   tail    but    not  the 
primaries,   their  coverts,  the   secondaries   and   usually   not  the 
alulae.     The  body  plumage  becomes  scarlet  vermilion  vaiying 
in  intensity  sometimes  pale  or  mixed  with  orange,  usually  paler 
but  often  indistinguishable  from  the  adult.     The  tibiae  become 
black  and  red  often  retaining  a  few  old  greenish  feathers.     Black 
tertiaries  and  black  wing  coverts  without  edgings  are  assumed 
in  sharp  contrast  to  the  worn  brown  flight  feathers  which  mark 
adults   in   nuptial  dress.      It  is  not   unusual  for  only  a  part  of 
the  wing  coverts    or  tertiaries  to  be   renewed  and  as  a  freak, 
scarlet  coverts  are  occasionally  assumed.      Greenish  feathers  of 
the   first  winter  dress  left  over  are  comparatively  infrequent  on 
the  body,  the  moult  usually  being  quite  complete. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  early  in  August.     Year-old  as  well  as 
adult  birds  acquire  jet-black  wings  and  tail  which  distinguish 
them   from  first  winter  birds,  and  usually  the  yellow  green  is 
deeper. 


222  DWIGHT 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  the  same  body  areas  as  in  the  young  bird 
from  which  easily  distinguishable  by  the  completely  black  wings. 
The  greater  wing  coverts  are  not  renewed  as  at  the  first  prenup- 
tial moult.  The  tails  show  some  wear  as  compared  with  those 
of  young  birds.  The  vermilion  body  plumage  will  probably 
average  deeper. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  of  the  female  apparently 
correspond  to  those  of  the  male,  but  the  color  is  greenish  at  all 
seasons.  In  natal  down  and  Juvenal  plumage  the  sexes  are  indis- 
tinguishable. In  first  winter  plumage  the  female  is  greener  with 
less  yellow  and  duller  than  the  male  and  without  black  wing 
coverts.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  yellowish  and  so  fresh  that 
a  prenuptial  moult  is  indicated,  probably  more  limited  than  that 
of  the  male.  At  the  postnuptial  moult  an  orange  tinged  adult 
winter  plumage  is  acquired  and  sometimes  black  wing  coverts 
appear,  seen  in  the  adult  nuptial  plumage  in  which  only  the  body 
feathers  are  renewed  by  a  limited  prenuptial  moult. 

Piranga  rubra  (Linn.).     SUMMER  TANAGER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  ruddy  or  yellow  tinged  sepia-brown  with  darker  edgings  and  feather  centres 
producing  a  faintly  streaked  appearance.  Wings  deep  olive-brown  with  olive- 
yellow  or  greenish  edgings,  usually  reddish  tinged  on  the  outer  primaries,  the 
coverts  duller,  the  tertiaries  paler.  Tail  bright  olive-green  or  olive-yellow  often 
reddish  tinged  basally,  the  shafts  sepia-brown.  Below,  dull  white  tinged  with 
sulphur-yellow  on  abdomen  and  crissum,  distinctly  and  broadly  streaked  on  the 
throat,  breast  and  sides  with  deep  olive-brown.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  be- 
coming dusky  clay-color,  the  feet  darker. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  in  the  South  early  in  July  which  involves  the 
body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings 
nor  the  tail. 

Unlike  previous  plumage,  unstreaked.  Above  pale  olive-green  with  a  strong  orange 
tinge,  reddish  in  many  specimens.  Below  chrome-yellow  often  strongly  tinged 
with  orange  especially  on  the  crissum  and  "edge  of  the  wings."  The  wing 
coverts  are  edged  with  olive-green  strongly  tinged  with  yellow  or  orange  accord- 
ing to  individual  vitality.  The  orbital  ring  is  usually  chrome-yellow  or  paler. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  223 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  portions  of  the  body  plumage,  wing  coverts, 
tertiaries  and  the  tail.     There  is  an  unusual  amount  of  individual 
variation  in  the  extent  of  this  moult  accentuated  by  the  contrast 
of  the  new  vermilion  or  poppy-red  feathers  among  the  old  green- 
ish or  yellow  ones.     Some  birds  become  entirely  red  except  for 
the  old  greenish  primaries,  their  coverts  and  the  secondaries  and 
there  are  all  sorts  of  intermediates  ranging  down  to  those  with  a 
mere  sprinkling  of  red  feathers.     The  central  quills  only  of  the. 
tail  may  be  renewed,  sometimes  only  part  of  the  tertiaries  and 
wing  coverts,  but  in  every  case  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  process 
of  moult  has  stopped  at  points  where  the  checking  of  its  normal 
advance  would  produce  the  varied  plumages  found.     The  fresh- 
ness of  the  red  feathers  compared  with  the  green   ones   is   also 
easily  demonstrable.      I  have  also  seen  two  undated  specimens, 
one  from  Guatemala,  showing  red  feathers  still  in  their  sheaths 
here  and  there  among  the  brown  ones. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August.     The  full  red  plumage  including  the 
wings  and  tail  is  acquired  at  this  moult.    It  will  be  observed  that 
this  species  does  not  revert  to  the   greenish  dress  of  the  first 
winter  like  P.  erythomelas. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  not 
very  perceptible  even  on  close  examination  of  the  feathers.     The 
color  of  breeding   birds  is  pinkish  or  geranium-red  when  com- 
pared with  P.  erythomelas.     There  appears  to  be  no  second  pre- 
nuptial moult  in  this  species. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  but  the  plumage  remains  similar  to  that  of  the  male  in 
first  winter  and  the  first  and  only  prenuptial  moult  is  mostly 
suppressed.  Adult  females  may  be  red  tinged,  but  regularly 
they  are  even  yellower  than  the  male  in  first  winter  dress. 

HIRUNDINID.E 

The  Swallows,  like  the  Flycatchers,  afford  in  their  moulting, 
some  problems  that  existing  material  scarcely  suffices  to  solve, 


224  DWIGHT 

for  with  the  exception  of  T.  bicolor,  they  migrate  southward  in 
the  autumn  before  acquiring  their  winter  dress,  so  that  a  mere 
handful  among  hundreds  of  specimens  examined,  show  signs  of 
moult  before  they  have  passed  beyond  the  borders  of  the  United 
States.  A  few  specimens  from  Mexico  and  Central  America 
show  that  both  adults  and  young  birds  reach  these  countries  in 
worn  nuptial  and  worn  Juvenal  plumages  respectively  and  two  or 
three  more  afford  evidence  of  a  mid-winter  moult,  the  occurrence 
of  which  has  been  previously  affirmed  by  other  observers. 

From  these  meagre  facts  and  from  the  study  of  the  feathers, 
which,  on  account  of  the  metallic  colors  and  the  aerial  habits 
of  the  Swallows,  show  little  evidence  of  wear,  we  may  not 
draw  positive  conclusions,  but  two  at  least  may  be  reached  with 
considerable  certainty.  The  first  is  that  adult  Swallows  undergo 
a  complete  postnuptial  moult  late  in  the  fall,  either  while  on 
their  southward  journey  or  at  its  conclusion  ;  and  the  second  is 
that  young  Swallows  undergo  a  complete  postjuvenal  moult  (or 
prenuptial  perhaps  in  point  of  time)  later  than  the  postnuptial  of 
the  adult.  More  specimens  are  needed  to  fix  the  limits  of  these 
two  moults,  but  I  am  of  opinion  that  mid-winter  birds  in  moult 
will  all  prove  to  be  young  ones.  It  may  perhaps  be  expedient 
to  call  this  a  prenuptial  moult  and  consider  the  postjuvenal  sup- 
pressed, but  this  is  only  a  matter  of  convenience  and  would  not 
alter  the  facts  nor  disturb  my  scheme  of  plumages  and  moults 
which  has  been  devised  so  as  to  give  clear  expression  to  the 
facts.  These  may  be  found  discussed  under  each  species,  and  I 
hope  a  much  larger  fund  of  material  may  accumulate  within  a 
few  years  now  that  I  have  pointed  out  the  deficiencies  in  that  at 
present  available  for  study. 

Progne  subis  (Linn.).     PURPLE  MARTIN 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.    No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  wings  and  tail,  sooty  or  clove-brown,  the  forehead  and  a  nuchal 
band  grayish,  the  feathers  of  the  head  and  back  indistinctly  dull  steel- 
blue.  Feathers  of  the  wings  with  very  narrow  whitish  edgings.  Below,  white, 
mouse-gray  on  chin,  throat,  breast,  sides  and  tibine,  the  feathers  of  the  chin, 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF  NEW  YORK  225 

lower  breast   and  abdomen  with    narrow    dusky   shaft  streaks.     Bill    and  feet 
brownish  black. 

This  plumage  is  worn  a  long  time  and  is  still  retained  when 
the  birds  leave  for  the  south  early  in  September. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  complete 
postjuvenal  moult.     Similar  to  the  previous  plumage  but  darker, 
the  throat  browner  while  scattered  patches  of  steel-blue  feathers 
are  acquired.     A  specimen  (U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  No.  1 22944,  $  ,  Au- 
gust 3d,   Maryland),  which  from  the  date  might  be  a  year-old 
bird,  has  partly  renewed  two  proximal  primaries,  an  outer  rectrix 
and  some  of  the  body  plumage. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE  acquired    apparently  by    wear 
alone.      It  is  impossible  to  estimate  just  when  the  feathers  of  this 
plumage  are  assumed,   because  all  the  Swallows  show  very  little 
wear  owing  to  their  habits  and  to  the  structure  of  their  feathers. 
The  immature  mixed  blue  and  gray  plumage  is  peculiar  to  the 
first  breeding  season. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete   post- 
nuptial moult  after  the  species  has  departed  south.     A  specimen 
in  my  collection  (J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  No.   560,  S ,  Connecticut,  Au- 
gust 1 6th)  shows  the  proximal  primary  of  each  wing  just  sprout- 
ing and  a  bird,  perhaps  P.  s.  hesperia  (U.  S.  Nat.   Mus.,  No. 
128306, cT,  September  I3th,  Nicaragua)  has  renewed  two  proxi- 
mal primaries  and  a  few  body  feathers.     The  steel-blue  plumage 
is    assumed  and  old  and  young  become  indistinguishable.      A 
white  patch  is  exposed  if  the  posterior  feathers  of  the  humeral 
tracts  be  disarranged. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  pro- 
duces practically  no  effect  on  the  previous  dress  even  late  in  the 
summer.       Florida  specimens  of  March  I  ith  to  I4th  are  in  fresh 
plumage  but  show  no  direct  evidence  of  recent  moult. 

Female. — The  female  has  similar  plumages  and  moults,  but 
is  always  duller  than  the  male,  lacking  most  of  the  steel-blue 
above  and  all  of  it  below.  In  juvenal  plumage  the  gray  collar 
is  much  browner  than  that  of  the  adult  female  and  the  under 
tail  coverts  are  grayish  white  with  dusky  shaft  streaks  instead  of 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  Oct.  i,  1900 — 15. 


226  DWIGHT 

smoke-gray  with  whitish  edgings.  The  lines  on  the  breast  are 
broader.  Later  plumages  are  alike  but  females  show  more 
wear  than  males. 

Petrochelidon  lunifrons  (Say).     CLIFF  SWALLOW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2 .  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  wings  and  tail  clove-brown,  the  pileum  and  back  greenish  with 
obscure  metallic  reflections,  each  feather  edged  with  drab,  a  nuchal  band 
drab  ;  the  whole  rump  and  usually  the  forehead  (on  which  are  often  scattered 
a  few  white  feathers),  cinnamon.  The  tertiaries  are  broadly  and  some  of  the 
wing  coverts  narrowly  edged  with  cinnamon.  Below,  dull  white,  strongly 
washed  on  the  throat,  sides,  and  crissum  with  vinaceous  cinnamon ;  the  chin 
and  forepart  of  the  throat  showing  a  curious  mixture  of  white,  dull  black  and 
cinnamon-rufous  feathers,  sometimes  one  color  and  sometimes  the  other  pre- 
dominating, the  white  perhaps  entirely  absent  and  replaced  by  black.  Lores 
and  auriculars  dull  black.  Feet  dull  sepia.  Bill  dull  black. 

This  plumage  is  worn  for  some  time,  part  of  the  edgings  being 
lost  and  it  is  not  replaced  before  the  birds  depart  southward  the 
end  of  August  or  early  in  September.  Several  specimens  from 
Central  America  still  retaining  this  plumage,  are  dated  Oc- 
tober 20th. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  complete 
postjuvenal  moult  in  the  winter  habitat  so  far  as  may  be  estimated 
from  the  changes  found  in  the   plumage   on  the  return   of  the 
species  in  May.     Wear  is  somewhat   evident  even  in   the  wings 
and  tail  although  the  resistant  metallic  feathers  show  little  of  it. 
At  all  events  the  glossy  blue  of  the  head  and  back  and  the  rich 
chestnut  of  the  chin  and  auriculars  with  the  black  throat  spot 
are  acquired.     The  breast  and  throat  feathers  now  have  shaft 
streaks    and   the    cinnamon   crescent  on  the  forehead   is    con- 
spicuous. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired,    in    all    probability, 
wholly  by  wear. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  after  the  species  has  departed  south.     Evidently 
indistinguishable  from  the  first  winter  dress.     An  adult  female 
(Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  No.  40264)  in  worn  nuptial  dress,  taken 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF  NEW  YORK  227 

in  Brazil  and  without  other  data,  retains  only  two  old  primaries, 
the  others  and  part  of  the  body  plumage  being  in  process  of 
growth  at  the  usual  points. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  alike,  although  the  female 
usually  has  less  black  on  the  chin,  and  the  moults  are  undoubt- 
edly similar. 

Chelidon  erythrogastra  (Bodd.).     BARN  SWALLOW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Smoke-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dull  iridescent  green  (less  often  blue),  browner  on  the  pileum,  the  fore- 
head russet  and  a  faint  nuchal  band  grayish.  Wings  and  tail  dull  greenish 
black,  rectrices  with  large  subterminal  white  spots,  the  outer  pair  with  broad, 
rotinded  apices  reaching  less  than  one  inch  beyond  the  central  pair.  (See 
plate  II,  fig.  20.)  Below,  pale  cinnamon  often  vinaceous,  the  chin  and 
throat  much  deeper  and  russet  tinged,  a  broad  incomplete  slate-black  band 
across  the  jugulum.  Lores  and  auriculars  dull  black.  Feet  sepia.  Bill 
dusky  except  a  pinkish  lower  mandible,  wholly  black  when  older. 

This  plumage  is  still  worn,  its  pink  tinge  somewhat  lost  when 
the  birds  leave  for  the  south  about  the  end  of  August. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  complete 
postjuvenal  moult. 

It  is  evident,  as  with  the  other  species  of  Swallows,  a  com- 
plete moult  occurs  before  this  species  returns  to  our  latitude  in 
the  spring.  Two  specimens  from  South  America,  taken  in  Feb- 
ruary, show  primaries  and  tails  with  adherent  sheaths  and  fresh 
body  plumage,  but  it  is  impossible  to  say  whether  they  are 
adults  or  young  birds  ;  and  two  others  from  Corumba,  on  the 
boundary  between  Brazil  and  Bolivia,  March  23d  (Amer.  Mus. 
Nat.  Hist,  Nos.  31 164  and  31 166),  are  also  in  fresh  new  plum- 
age. The  new  attenuated  lateral  rectrices  (plate  II,  fig.  21) 
extend  fully  one  and  one-quarter  inches  beyond  the  middle  pair. 
Greenish  wings  are  acquired  together  with  the  metallic  purplish 
feathers  of  the  jugular  band.  The  chin  and  throat  become 
chestnut  and  the  lower  parts  darker  cinnamon.  Old  and  young 
become  indistinguishable. 


228  DWIGHT 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE  acquired   apparently   by  wear 
which  produces  little  effect  on  the  iridescent  feathers,  or  possibly 
by  a  complete  prenuptial  moult  (if  the  postju venal  is  considered 
as  suppressed),  as  indicated  by  the  specimens  to  which  reference 
has  just  been  made. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult,  after  departure  for  the  south.      Probably  indis- 
tinguishable from  first  winter  dress    although  I   have   seen   no 
birds  identified  as  adults  after  the  postnuptial  moult.     A  speci- 
men (Amer.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  No.  28100,   9,  October  3d,  Ari- 
zona) is  still  in  worn  nuptial  dress. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  evidently  acquired  by  wear. 
Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable    in    all 

plumages,  although  the  female  in  nuptial  dress  is  often  if  not 
regularly  much  paler  below  than  the  male. 

Tachycineta  bicolor  (Vieill.).     TREE  SWALLOW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  neck,  wings  and  tail  sooty  brown  the  tertiaries 
slaty  with  faint  grayish  edgings.  Below,  pure  white,  a  very  faint  incomplete 
sooty  collar  on  the  jugulum.  Lores  dull  black.  Bill  dull  black.  Feet  pink- 
ish buff  becoming  dusky  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postju  ve- 
nal moult  beginning  late  in  August  and  extending  into  October, 
as  shown  by  large  series,  young  and  old  becoming  practically 
indistinguishable. 

Unlike  previous  plumage.  Above,  iridescent  green,  sometimes  with  steely  blue  re- 
flections. Wings  and  tail  deep  bottle-green  slightly  iridescent,  the  tertiaries 
broadly  tipped  with  white.  Below,  pure  white  slightly  smoky  gray  on  the  sides. 

A  tertiary  of  this  plumage  is  figured  on  plate  II,  fig.  6,  and 
the  effect  of  wear  may  be  seen  by  fig.  7. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  only  obvious 
in  the  entire  loss  of  the  white  tips  of  the  tertiaries,  one  of  which 
is   figured   on   plate   II,   fig.   7.     The   wings    become   a   trifle 
browner  as  the  summer  advances. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  229 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  the  middle  of  August.    Practically  indis- 
tinguishable from  first  winter  dress,  possessing  the  same  white 
tipped  tertiaries,  but  usually  the  head  and  back  show  blue  rather 
than   green   metallic   reflections.     This   is  the   only  one  of  our 
Swallows  that  completes  its  moult  before  migrating  southward. 
It  breeds  early  and  moults  early  as  compared  with  the  others. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
the  white  tips  of  the  tertiaries  are  lost  as  in  young  birds,  speci- 
mens thus  becoming  wholly  steel-blue  above. 

Female. — The  female  has  corresponding  plumages  and  moults, 
but  is  usually  duller  with  less  iridescence  and  browner  wings 
and  tail  until  the  adult  winter  plumage  is  assumed  which  is 
usually  indistinguishable  from  that  of  the  male. 

Clivicola  riparia  (Linn.).     BANK  SWALLOW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  brownish  mouse-gray,  most  of  the  feathers  edged 
with  pale  drab.  Wings  and  tail  dull  brownish  black,  the  wing  coverts  and 
tertiaries  edged  with  pale  cinnamon,  the  rectrices  with  grayish  white.  The 
tail  is  rounded,  only  slightly  forked  and  without  the  indistinctly  barred  or 
"watered"  effect  usual  in  the  adult.  Below,  white,  a  broad  pectoral  band 
mouse-gray,  or  dull  clove-brown  with  cinnamon  edgings,  the  chin  tinged  with 
cinnamon,  and  flecked  with  faint  dusky  dots.  Lores  dull  black.  Bill  dull 
black.  Feet  sepia  becoming  black. 

Birds  migrate  southward  in  this  plumage  before  September, 
some  of  the  edgings  having  been  lost  by  wear.  A  specimen 
from  Tehuantepec,  Mexico,  October  1 3th,  still  retains  this  dress. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  com- 
plete postjuvenal  moult.     The  new  tail  is  more  deeply  forked 
and   is   indistinctly   barred.      The   chin   is   pure   white   without 
spots  and  the  collar  is  darker.     Young  and  old  evidently  be- 
come indistinguishable. 

4.  FIRST   NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    evidently   by   wear, 
which   is  very  marked   in   this   species   as  compared  with   the 
Swallows  of  iridescent  plumage.     The  wings  and  tail  are  darker 


230  DWIGHT 

than  those  of  the  Juvenal  plumage,  and  this  points  to  their  having 
been  completely  renewed  during  the  winter  absence. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     This  dress  is  assumed  after  the  birds  have  moved 
southward  in  the  autumn. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  indistinguishable  in  all  plumages,  and 
the  moults  are  probably  identical. 

Stelgidopteryx  serripennis  (Aud.).    ROUGH-WINGED  SWALLOW 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  deep  sepia-brown,  edged  with  cinnamon-rufous.  Wings  and  tail  clove-brown, 
the  coverts,  secondaries  and  tertiaries  edged  with  cinnamon-rufous.  The  outer 
edge  of  the  first  primary  is  without  hooklets  and  therefore  not  rough  to  the 
touch.  Below,  dull  white,  the  breast  and  throat  vinaceous  cinnamon.  Bill 
and  feet  dusky  flesh- color,  becoming  black. 

There  is  some  fading  and  loss  of  feather  edgings  before  the 
birds  leave  us  in  the  autumn. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  post- 
juvenal  moult  after  the  birds  have  migrated  southward  in  Sep- 
tember, or  very  likely  while  they  move  leisurely  along  in  flocks. 
One  young  female  (Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  No.  71520,  October 
24th,  Key  West,  Florida),  shows  six  new  primaries  partly  grown 
in  each  wing  and  a  few  new  body  feathers.     Judging  by  spring 
specimens  taken  in  May  the  plumage  when  fresh  must  be  deep 
sepia-brown,   darker   on  the  pileum,  with   dusky  shaft   streaks 
and  slightly  paler,  indistinct  edgings.     Wings  and  tail  darker 
than  in  Juvenal   dress,  males  acquiring  the  saw-toothed  outer 
primary.     Below  dull  white  with  a  brownish   mouse-gray  pec- 
toral band. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  much 
more  marked  than  in  Swallows  having  iridescent  plumage. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE*  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult    after  the  birds   have  migrated  southward.     An 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF   NEW  YORK  231 

adult  male  (Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist,  No,  53251,  September  2Oth, 
Arizona),  has  just  begun  the  postnuptial  moult,  having  renewed 
three  primaries  of  each  wing  and  a  few  of  the  body  feathers. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  alike  and  the  moults,  no 
doubt,  correspond.  The  first  primary  is  usually  less  distinctly 
rough-edged. 

AMPELID^E 

Both  species  of  Waxwings  moult  in  the  same  way,  having 
only  a  single  annual  moult,  young  birds  assuming  their  body 
plumage  by  a  postjuvenal  moult  which  is  partial. 

Ampelis  garrulus  Linn.     BOHEMIAN  WAXWING 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  lesser  and  median  coverts,  grayish  hair-brown  tending  below  to 
heavy  streaking  on  breast  and  abdomen  which  are  grayish  white  centrally. 
Crissum  pale  vinaceous  cinnamon.  Chin  grayish  with  obscure  dusky  spotting 
and  bordered  by  dusky  lateral  lines.  Lores  and  circumocular  region  black. 
Wings  dull  black,  the  secondaries  and  primary  coverts  broadly  tipped  with 
white,  the  inner  primaries  tipped  with  primrose-yellow  on  the  outer  web,  the 
outer  two  or  three  with  white.  The  secondaries  usually  have  about  four  waxy, 
vermilion  appendages,  smaller  and  fewer  than  in  adults.  The  crown  feathers 
are  lengthened  into  an  insignificant  crest.  Tail  drab-gray,  black  subterminally 
with  a  narrower  terminal  band  of  canary-yellow.  Bill  and  feet  black. 

The  wing  pattern,  much  grayer  tints  and  cinnamon  crissum 
distinguish  young  birds  from  those  of  A.  cedrorum  in  correspond- 
ing plumage.  The  description  is  from  two  birds  taken  on  the 
Yukon  River,  N.  W.  T.,  and  kindly  loaned  me  by  Dr.  L.  B. 
Bishop. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but 
not  the  remiges  nor  rectrices. 

Everywhere  rich  drab,  grayer  below  and  on  rump,  fawn-color  about  the  head.  A 
large  black  chin  patch,  the  black  extending  to  lores  and  forehead  and  bor- 
dered everywhere  by  rich  walnut-brown. 


232  DWIGHT 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  not 
marked. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Adults  are  somewhat  grayer  than  young  birds, 
the  primaries  are  edged  with  bright  lemon-yellow  and  tipped 
with  white  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  a  terminal  L  and  the  waxy 
appendages    are    more    numerous,    larger   and    better   formed. 
Young  and  old  become  indistinguishable. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear. 

Females. — The  moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of  the 
male.  In  Juvenal  dress  the  spots  on  the  primaries  are  paler  than 
in  the  male  and  often  wholly  white,  and  the  appendages  few  or 
none.  The  black  chin  patch  of  later  plumages  is  apt  to  be 
smaller  and  duller  than  that  of  the  male  and  the  appendages 
fewer,  with  paler  spots  on  the  primaries. 

Ampelis  cedrorum  (Vieill.).     CEDAR  WAXWING 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  wing  coverts,  olive-brown.  Below,  paler  with 
darker  broad  fused  stripes  on  the  throat,  breast,  sides  and  flanks,  the  chin  paler, 
the  abdomen  and  crissum  dull  white  often  yellow  or  buff  tinged.  A  crest  not 
well  marked  is  found  on  the  crown.  Anterior  frontal  feathers,  lores  and  partial 
orbital  ring  dull  black  ;  posterior  quadrant  of  orbital  ring,  submalar  streak  and 
narrow  superciliary  line  white  or  pale  buff.  Chin  bordered  laterally  by  dull 
black.  Wings  and  tail  slate-black,  the  primaries  ashy  edged,  occasionally 
some  of  the  secondaries  tipped  with  bright  vermilion  wax-like  appendages,  the 
tail  terminated  with  a  lemon-yellow  band,  the  rectrices  also  occasionally  but 
ipfrequently  tipped  with  similar  red  appendages.  Bill  and  feet  sepia,  becoming 
black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  in  September  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage,  but  the  brown  much  paler  and  the  streaking  absent. 
Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  throat  silky  drab  merging  into  plumbeous 
gray  on  the  rump  and  paling  on  the  crown  where  the  feathers  are  basally  white. 
The  crest  marked.  The  abdomen  and  flanks  are  pale  canary-yellow ;  the 
crissum  white.  Chin  black  merging  into  the  brown  throat.  Narrow  submalar 
stripe  and  part  of  orbital  ring  white.  Forehead  at  nostrils,  lores,  superciliary 
stripe  and  part  of  orbital  ring  black. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF  NEW   YORK  233 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  scarcely 
shows  in  the  soft,  silky  plumage  till  late  in  the  autumn  when 
fading  becomes  apparent. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  usually  begun  in  September.      Practically  indis- 
tinguishable from  first  winter  dress,  the  red   wing  appendages 
perhaps  more  frequent. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the  young 
bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  alike  in  plumages  and 
moults,  but  the  female  usually  has  less  black  on  the  chin  and 
the  wax-like  tips  probably  less  frequently  develop. 

LANIID.E 

Our  two  Shrikes  appear  to  moult  the  same,  apparently  having 
a  semiannual  renewal  in  both  young  and  old  birds.  Young 
acquire  full  adult  body  plumage  at  the  first  prenuptial  moult, 
retaining  the  immature  remiges  until  the  first  postnuptial. 

Lanius  borealis  Vieill.     NORTHERN  SHRIKE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  brownish  mouse-gray  with  indistinct  dusky  vermiculations,  especially  on  the 
rump.  Wings  black,  a  white  area  at  bases  of  the  primaries  ;  the  coverts,  tertia- 
ries  and  secondaries  edged  with  wood-brown,  or  pale  cinnamon  mottled  from 
irregular  extension  of  the  color,  and  similar  tipping  on  the  rectrices  which  are 
black,  the  lateral  ones  largely  white.  Below  mouse-gray,  nearly  white  on  mid- 
abdomen,  indistinctly  vermiculated,  more  marked  on  sides  and  crissum.  Bar 
though  eye  dull  clove-brown  ;  lores  grayish.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  wood-brown 
in  dried  skin. 

Description  from  a  bird  taken  in  Labrador. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage,  and  wing  coverts,  but 
not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  French  gray  washed  with  brownish  gray,  the  rump  grayish  white.  Lesser 
coverts  cinereous  gray,  the  median  black,  the  retained  greater  coverts  dull  black 


234  DWIGHT 

buff  tipped.  Below  grayish  white  with  distinct  dusky  vermiculations  except  on 
the  chin,  abdomen  and  crissum.  Tail  black,  the  three  outer  rectrices  with 
much  white.  Lores  grayish.  Bar  through  eye  dusky. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  in  March  which  involves  the  anterior  part  of  the  head, 
chin  and  throat.     A  whiter  chin  and  black  lores  are  acquired, 
young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable.     A  good 
deal  of  the  vermiculation  is  lost  by  wear  of  the  feather  edges. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Differs  from  first  winter  in  having  a  white  wing 
band  on  the  greater  coverts,  the  tertiaries  and  secondaries  with 
white   edgings,  the  wings   and   tail  jet-black,  including   all  the 
coverts.     The  back  is  grayer  without  the  brownish  tint  of  the 
young  bird. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  Usually  browner,  especially  the  wings  and  tail  and 
with  a  brown  transocular  bar  until  the  adult  winter  plumage  is 
assumed. 


Lanius  ludovicianus  (Linn.).     LOGGERHEAD  SHRIKE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  drab-gray,  faintly  vermiculated  and  with  pale  buff  edgings  ;  rump  slightly 
paler.  Wings  and  tail  black,  a  white  area  at  the  bases  of  the  primaries,  the 
coverts  and  tertiaries  buff  tipped,  palest  on  the  tertiaries  ;  the  outer  rectrices 
largely  white,  the  central  ones  buff,  with  terminal  mottling.  Lores,  orbital  region 
and  auriculars  dull  black.  Below,  dull  white  on  chin,  abdomen  and  crissum, 
washed  on  breast  and  sides  with  very  pale  buff  or  drab,  vermiculated  with 
dusky  subterminal  bands  on  each  feather.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  becoming  black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  post] u venal 
moult   in    September  and    October,  which    involves   the    body 
plumage,  tertiaries,  wing  coverts  and  tail,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  grayer  above  and  the  vermiculations  absent  or  very 
indistinct  on  the  breast.  Above,  plumbeous  gray,  paler  on  rump,  the  posterior 
scapularies  white.  Wings  and  tail  black  except  for  the  brown  juvenal  pri- 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  '  235 

maries,  secondaries  and  primary  coverts,  the  lesser  coverts  plumbeous,  white 
tips  to  the  new  tertiaries  and  white  terminal  spots  on  the  lateral  rectrices.  Be- 
low, dull  white  with  dusky  vermiculations  sometimes  faintly  indicated.  A 
broad,  black  bar  through  the  eye. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  in  February  and  March,  which  involves  chiefly  the  chin, 
throat  and  head,  and  a  few  scattering  feathers  elsewhere,  but 
neither  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  whiter  throat  is  the  most 
marked  change  produced.     The  wings  and  tail  have  become 
brownish  and  show  considerable  wear. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete'  post- 
nuptial moult  in  September.      Practically  indistinguishable  from 
the  first  winter  dress,  but  the  wings  and  tail  will  average  blacker. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  alike  in  all  plumages,  but 
the  black  bar  through  the  eye  is  usually  duller  in  females,  and 
brownish  until  renewed  at  the  first  prenuptial  moult. 


VIREONID^. 

The  Vireos  all  have  a  single  annual  moult,  and  in  arboreal 
species  suffer  very  little  from  wear.  V.  noveboracensis  is  peculiar 
in  having  a  complete  postjuvenal  moult,  although  I  am  not  sure 
this  occurs  in  all  specimens.  Young  birds  become  practically 
indistinguishable  from  adults  at  the  postjuvenal  moult  although 
they  do  not  assume  adult  wings  and  tail  as  a  rule  until  the  first 
postnuptial. 

Vireo  olivaceus  (Linn.).     RED-EYED  VIREO 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  drab-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  lesser  wing  coverts,  drab.  Wings  and  tail  olive-brown,  edged 
with  bright  olive-green,  brightest  on  the  secondaries  and  tertiaries.  Below, 
silky  white,  faintly  tinged  on  the  sides  and  crissum  with  primrose-yellow. 
Superciliary  stripe  dull  white ;  lores  and  postocular  streak  dusky.  Bill  and 
feet  pinkish  buff,  becoming  slaty.  Iris  walnut-brown. 


236  DWIGHT 

3.  FIRST    WINTER    PLUMAGE    acquired    by  a  partial    post- 
ju venal  moult   in  August   and   September  which   involves   the 
body  plumage,  the  wing  coverts  (often  the  tertiaries)  but  not  the 
rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage  but  olive-green  replaces  the  drab  and  a  gray  cap  is  as- 
sumed. Above,  including  sides  of  neck  and  edgings  of  wing  coverts  and  auricu- 
lars  olive-green,  the  pileum  slate-gray  bordered  by  two  lateral  dull  black  stripes. 
Superciliary  line  broad,  grayish  or  buffy  white.  Transocular  streak  dusky. 
Below,  grayish  white  faintly  washed  on  the  sides  with  olive-green  and  on  the 
crissum  with  primrose -yellow. 

In  plumage  young  and  old  are  practically  indistinguishable  in 
the  autumn,  but  the  iris  of  young  birds  is  brown  while  they 
remain  with  us. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    wear   which    is 
scarcely  appreciable  owing  to  the  soft  long-barbed  feathers  and 
the  habits  of  the  species.     Some  fading  is  apparent  late  in  the 
season.     The  iris  becomes  dull  red  before  the  birds  return  in  the 
spring. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a   complete  post- 
nuptial   moult.      Practically   indistinguishable  from   first  winter 
except  by  the  red  iris  but  possibly  will  average  richer  olive-green 
above  with  a  grayer  pileum,  and  less  washed  with  buff  below. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear,  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  in  plumages  and  moults,  the 
females  in  winter  dress  often  browner  and  duller  than  the  males. 

Vireo  philadelphicus  (Cass.).     PHILADELPHIA  VIREO 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  drab-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Similar  to  V.  olivaceus  and  V.  gilvus,  but  darker  above  and  distinctly  yellow  below. 
Above,  wood-brown,  darker  and  olive  tinged  on  the  back  and  wing  coverts. 
Wings  and  tail  clove-brown  with  olive-green  edgings.  Below  primrose-yellow, 
auriculars,  orbital  ring,  and  superciliary  stripe  buff-yellow.  Lores  and  postocular 
streak  dusky.  Feet  pinkish  buff,  drying  to  dusky  wood-brown.  Bill  pale  bistre, 
the  under  mandible  pinkish,  drying  to  a  yellowish  raw  umber-brown.  When 
older  the  bill  dusky  and  feet  slaty.  Iris  deep  hazel -brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  237 

moult  beginning  the  end  of  July  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age and  wing^coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail, 
young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similiar  to  the  previous  plumage  but  greener  with  a  grayer  crown,  and  brighter  yellow 
below.  Above,  dull  olive-green,  slate-gray  on  the  pileum.  Below  pale  canary- 
yellow,  whiter  on  middle  of  abdomen.  Sides  of  head  pale  greenish  or  grayish 
buff,  superciliary  stripe  paler ;  transocular  streak  dusky. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.     The  back 
fades  a  little  and  becomes  grayer,  the  yellow  below,  paler. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER    PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.      Practically  indistinguishable   from  first   winter 
dress,  the  yellow  below  usually  paler  with  a  larger  area  of  white 
on  the  abdomen. 

6.  ADULT    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  are  the  same. 


Vireo  gilvus  (Vieill.).     WARBLING  VIREO 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.    Pale  wood-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Similar  to  V.  philadelphicus  but  paler.  Above  wood-brown,  very  pale  on  pileum 
and  nape,  darker  and  faintly  tinged  with  olive  on  the  back.  Wings  and  tail 
pale  clove-brown  edged  with  dull  olive-green.  Below,  white,  the  crissum 
tinged  with  pale  primrose-yellow.  Auriculars,  orbital  ring  and  superciliary 
line  white.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  becoming  dusky  and  slate-gray  re- 
spectively when  older.  Iris  deep  hazel -brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  early  in  August  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage  but  greener  above.  Above,  grayish  olive-brown, 
the  pileum  mouse-gray.  Below,  buffy  white,  palest  on  chin  and  abdomen, 
washed  on  the  sides  and  flanks  with  greenish  primrose-yellow.  Superciliary 
line,  suborbital  region  and  orbital  ring  very  pale  buff.  A  dusky  transocular 
streak.  Auriculars  drab. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  slight. 
The  whole  plumage   becomes   paler  below  and  grayer  above, 
the  buff  tints  being  lost. 


238  DWIGHT 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  first  winter, 
but  with  less  buff  in  some  cases. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  are  identical. 


Vireo  flavifrons  Vieill.     YELLOW-THROATED  VIREO 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Drab. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  smoke-gray.  Wings  and  tail  black,  edged  with  olive-gray,  the  secondaries 
and  tertiaries  with  olive-green  (the  two  mner  tertiaries  white  edged),  the 
greater  and  median  coverts  with  dull  white  forming  two  wing  bands.  Below, 
silky  white,  the  chin,  throat  and  sides  of  head  pale  canary-yellow,  the  orbital 
ring,  ocular  region  and  superciliary  stripe  still  paler.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff 
becoming  dusky  and  slate-gray  when  older.  Iris  deep  hazel-brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju ve- 
nal moult  in  August,  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  the 
wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young 
and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  greener  above.  Above,  including  auriculars  and 
sides  of  neck,  bright  olive-green,  scapularies  and  rump,  olive-gray.  The  lesser 
wing  coverts  are  edged  with  dull  olive-green,  the  median  and  greater  with 
pure  white,  forming  two  broad  wing  bands.  Below,  bright  canary-yellow  ex- 
tending to  orbital  region  and  superciliary  stripe ;  abdomen  and  crissum  white, 
the  flanks  faintly  washed  with  olive-gray. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE    acquired    by   wear,    the    olive 
above  fading  a  little,  the  yellow  below  hardly  at  all. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult,  and  practically  indistinguishable  from  first  winter 
dress,  the  wing  edgings,  especially  of  the  lesser  coverts  and  of 
the  scapularies  grayer. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE   acquired    by  wear  as    in    the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  and  moults  are  alike. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF  NEW. YORK  239 

Vireo  solitarius  (Wils.).     BLUE-HEADED  VIREO 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  drab,  tinged  with  green,  pileum  and  auriculars  drab-gray.  Wings  and 
tail  clove-brown  edged  with  olive-green,  the  tertiaries  with  white,  two  wing 
bands  at  the  tips  of  the  median  and  greater  coverts  white,  yellow  tinged.  The 
outer  rectrices  partly  white.  Below,  pure  white,  tinged  on  flanks  and  crissum 
with  primrose-yellow.  Obscure  superciliary  stripe,  loral  and  orbital  regions 
white ;  a  dusky  anteorbital  streak.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former 
becoming  slaty,  the  latter  plumbeous  gray. 

3.  FIRST    WINTER    PLUMAGE    acquired   by   a  partial    post- 
juvenal  moult  in  August  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and 
the  wing  coverts   but  not  the   rest  of  the   wings   nor  the   tail. 
Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage  but  greener  above  and  with  a  gray  cap.  Above, 
olive-green  (often  mixed  with  gray),  the  pileum,  nape,  sides  of  head  and  tibiae 
slate-gray.  Below,  pure  white,  strongly  washed  on  the  sides  and  flanks  with 
olive-yellow  mixed  with  gray.  Lores  and  orbital  region  conspicuously  white. 
Orbital  ring  interrupted  anteriorly  by  deep  slate-gray. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which   pro- 
duces little  effect,  the  back  becoming  a  shade  grayer. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.       Practically  indistinguishable  from  first  winter 
dress,  the  gray  above  clearer  and  where  the  orbital  ring  is  inter- 
rupted, darker. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as    in   the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  female  is  apt  to  be  duller  especially  in  first 
winter  plumage,  the  head  browner  and  with  a  buffy  wash  below  ; 
but  many  birds  are  indistinguishable  from  males.  The  moults 
are  identical. 


Vireo  solitarius  plumbeus  (Coues.).     PLUMBEOUS  VIREO 

This  remarkably  distinct  subspecies,  characterized  by  extreme 
paleness  in  all  plumages,  enjoys  the  same  sequence  of  plumages 
and  of  moults  as  V.  solitarius.  In  northern  Mexico  and  in  Ari- 


240  DWIGHT 

zona  the  Juvenal  dress  is  acquired  chiefly  during  July.  The 
postnuptial  moult  is  completed  early  in  August  as  indicated  by 
several  adults. 


Vireo   noveboracensis  (Gmel.).     WHITE-EYED  VIREO 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dull  brownish  olive-green.  Wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown  edged  with 
bright  olive-green,  the  tertiaries  with  pale  buff,  the  greater  and  median  coverts 
with  straw-yellow  forming  two  distinct  wing  bands.  Below,  dull  grayish 
white,  buffy  on  the  throat,  strongly  washed  on  the  sides  and  crissum  with  sul- 
phur-yellow (sometimes  buffy).  Auriculars  pale  ecru-drab  ;  supraloral  and 
orbital  regions  pale  canary -yellow,  a  dusky  loral  streak.  Bill  pinkish  buff,  be- 
coming dusky ;  feet  paler,  becoming  plumbeous  gray.  Iris  mouse-gray,  be- 
coming white  by  the  following  spring. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired    by  a   complete    post- 
juvenal    moult    beginning  about  the  middle  of  August.     The 
juvenal  dress  is  worn  much  longer  than  that  of  the  other  Vireos, 
becoming  rapidly  ragged  from   the  thicket-loving  habits  of  the 
species  and  thus  probably  its  complete  renewal  is  a  necessity. 

Differs  very  little  from  the  previous  plumage.  The  olive -green  is  brighter  above, 
markedly  edged  on  the  pileum  and  neck  with  smoke-gray  contrasting  with  the 
back.  The  wings  and  tail  are  darker,  the  edgings  of  the  wing  coverts  and 
tertiaries  pale  straw-yellow.  The  throat  is  grayer  and  the  yellow  wash  of  the 
sides  brighter  and  greener. 

Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable  except  by 
the  gray  iris  of  the  young  bird. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  marked. 
The   back  becomes  browner,  and  the  gray    is  confined  to  the 
neck,  but  the  yellow  below  shows  little  change. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult.     Practically  indistinguishable   from    first  winter 
dress,  but  the  yellow  about  the  head  is  apt  to  be  richer  and  the 
gray  clearer.     The  iris  is  white. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear  as  in   the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  in  all  plumages  and  the  moults 
are  the  same. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  241 


MNIOTILTID.E 

Many  of  our  Warblers  undergo  a  semi-annual  moult  which 
is  often  extensive  at  the  time  of  the  prenuptial  moult.  5.  ruticilla 
is  perhaps  unique  among  them  in  having  a  limited  first  prenuptial 
moult  which  is  apparently  not  repeated,  although  I  suspect  a 
similar  peculiarity  may  be  found  to  prevail  among  several  others. 
The  prenuptial  period  of  moult  seems  to  be  a  protracted  one,  be- 
ginning even  in  November  and  extending  into  May.  As  most 
of  the  species  are  in  the  tropics  at  this  time  we  do  not  know 
much  about  the  changes  in  plumage  except  as  we  may  judge 
from  somewhat  worn  specimens  when  they  reach  us  in  the 
spring,  and  from  a  few  extra-limital  specimens.  The  types  of 
moult  are  numerous  in  this  large  family,  but  with  one  possible 
exception  (Ictcria  virens)  the  remiges  and  rectrices  are  retained 
until  the  first  postnuptial  moult.  The  renewal  at  the  prenuptial 
moult  varies  greatly  in  amount  and  when  confined  to  a  few 
feathers  of  the  head  and  chin  is  very  difficult  to  determine.  As 
a  ,rule  adult  winter  plumages  and  adult  nuptial  plumages  are  not 
very  different.  The  Juvenal  plumage  is  quickly  replaced  by  the 
first  winter  which  is  apt  to  resemble  closely  the  female  adult 
winter  dress.  In  many  species  the  first  prenuptial  moult  renders 
old  and  young  practically  indistinguishable  although  such  feath- 
ers of  the  old  plumage  as  remain  throw  much  light  upon  the 
age  of  doubtful  specimens.  Great  confusion  has  existed  as  to 
the  first  winter  or  "  immature  "  plumage  of  many  species  and 
still  less  has  been  known  of  the  adult  winter  dress. 


Mniotilta  varia  (Linn.).     BLACK  AND  WHITE  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  wood-brown  streaked  with  dull  olive-brown,  the  upper  tail  coverts  dusky  ; 
median  crown  and  superciliary  stripe  dingy  white.  Wings  and  tail  dull  black, 
edged  chiefly  with  ashy  gray,  the  tertiaries  (except  the  proximal  which  is 
entirely  black)  broadly  edged  with  white,  buff  tinged  on  the  middle  one  Two 
buffy  white  wing  bands  at  tips  of  greater  and  median  wing  coverts.  The  outer 
two  rectrices  with  terminal  white  blotches  of  variable  extent  on  the  inner  webs. 
ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Oct.  17,  1900 — 16. 


242  DWIGHT 

Below,  dull  white,  washed  on  the  throat  and  sides  with  wood-brown,  obscurely 
streaked,  on  throat,  breast,  sides  and  crissum  with  dull  grayish  black.  Bill  and 
feet  pinkish  buff,  becoming  dusky  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  early  in  July  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  whiter  and  definitely  streaked.  Above,  striped  in 
black  and  white,  the  upper  tail  coverts  black  broadly  edged  with  white  ;  median 
crown  and  superciliary  stripe  pure  white.  The  wing  bands  white.  Below,  pure 
white  streaked  with  bluish  black  on  sides  of  breast,  flanks  and  crissum,  the 
black  veiled  by  overlapping  white  edgings  ;  the  chin,  throat,  breast  and  ab- 
domen unmarked..  Postocular  stripe  black  ;  the  white  feathers  of  the  sides  of 
the  head  tipped  with  black. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  a  large  part  of  the  body  plumage  except 
posteriorly,  but  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail.   The  black  streaks  of 
the   chin  and   throat   are   acquired,  veiled  with  white,  and  the 
loral,  subocular  and  auricular  regions  become  jet-black.     The 
brown  primaiy  coverts  distinguish  young  birds  and  the  chin  is 
less  often  solidly  black  than  in  adults. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  the  first  of  July.     Differs  from  first  winter 
dress  in  having  the  chin  and  throat  heavily  streaked  with  irreg- 
ular chains  of  black  spots  veiled  with  white  edgings,  the  wings 
and  tail  blacker  and  the  edgings  a  brighter  gray. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird  from  which  the  blacker  primary  cov- 
erts and  sometimes  solidly  black  chin  will  serve  to  distinguish  it. 
A  specimen  (Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,.  No.  50374,  February  i8th, 
Tehuantepec,  Mexico),  evidently  an  adult,  shows  renewal  on  the 
chin  ;  also  an  undated  bird  (Am.  Mus.,  No.  39634,  Yucatan). 

Female. — The  female  has  corresponding  plumages  and  moults, 
the  first  prenuptial  moult  often  very  limited  or  suppressed.  In 
juvenal  dress  the  wings  and  tail  are  usually  browner  with  duller 
edgings  and  the  streaking  below  obscure.  In  first  winter  plu- 
mage the  streakings  are  dull  and  obscure  everywhere,  a  brown 
wash  conspicuous  on  the  flanks  and  sides  of  the  throat.  The 
first  nuptial  plumage  is  gained  chiefly  by  wear  through  which 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  243 

the  brown  tints  are  largely  lost,  the  general  color  becoming 
whiter  and  the  streaks  more  distinct.  The  adult  winter  plum- 
age is  rather  less  brown  than  the  female  first  winter,  the  streak- 
ings  less  obscure  and  the  wings  and  tail  darker.  The  adult 
nuptial  plumage,  acquired  partly  by  moult,  is  indistinguishable 
with  certainty  from  the  first  nuptial. 

Protonotaria  citrea  (Bodd.).     PROTHONOTARY  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Brownish  mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dull  brownish  olive-green,  yellowish  on  the  back  ;  in  very  young  birds  a 
strong  wash  of  Vandyke-brown  prevailing  which  fades  to  gray.  Wings  and 
tail  slate-black,  edged  chiefly  with  plumbeous  gray,  the  tertiaries  (and  some- 
times the  other  quill  feathers)  with  olive-green  ;  the  coverts  edged  with  yellow- 
ish or  greenish  wood-brown  palest  at  their  tips.  The  rectrices  are  largely 
white.  Below,  wood-brown,  primrose-yellow  on  abdomen  and  crissum,  rapidly 
fading  to  brownish  gray  and  white.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  black. 

Twelve  specimens   of  various   ages    in   my  collection    show 
remarkable  variations' in  the  depth  of  the  brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  July  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  the  wing 
coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     Young  and 
old  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

Entirely  different  from  the  previous  plumage.  Chiefly  of  a  bright  lemon-yellow 
deepest  on  the  crown,  olive-yellow  on  the  back  merging  into  white  on  abdo- 
men and  crissum  and  into  piumoeous  gray  on  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts. 
Wing  coverts  plumbeous  gray  edged  with  olive-green  which  color  also  veils 
the  yellow  crown. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  produces 
very  little  apparent  effect  except  by  loss  of  some  of  the  edgings. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a   complete  post- 
nuptial   moult.      Practically  indistinguishable   from   first  winter 
dress,  but  the  wings  and  tail  usually  blacker  and  the  edgings 
clear  bluish  plumbeous  gray  especially  noticeable  on  the  primary 
coverts. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  and  indistin- 
guishable from  the  first  nuptial. 


244  D  WIGHT 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike,  although  the  female  is  apt  to 
be  of  a  paler  yellow  and  the  moults  correspond. 

Helinaia  swainsonii  Aud.     SWAINSON'S  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  wing  coverts,  pale  cinnamon-brown.  Below,  paler  cinnamon. 
Wings  and  tail  olive- brown  edged  with  olive-green.  Crown  with  two  indistinct 
lateral  stripes  pale  brownish  gray.  A  dusky  transocular  streak.  Bill  and  feet 
pale  pinkish  buff.  Scarcely  differs  from  Helmitherus  vermivorus  but  rather 
paler. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts  but 
not  the  remiges  nor  rectrices.     Young  and  old  become  prac- 
tically indistinguishable. 

Above,  bistre,  greener  on  the  back.  Below,  yellowish  white,  shading  to  olive-buff 
on  sides  and  flanks.  Superciliary  line  indistinctly  white  ;  a  dusky  line  through 
the  eye. 

4.  FIRST   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.     The  head 
becomes  Mars-brown  in  contrast  to  the  olive  back,  and  below  the 
plumage  is  somewhat  paler. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult.      Practically  indistinguishable  from   first   winter 
dress. 

6.  ADULT    NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear   as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  and  females  are  hardly  distinguishable  except  by  a 
duller  line  through  the  eye. 

Helmitherus  vermivorus  (GmeL).     WORM-EATING  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Brownish  mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Whole  body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts  cinnamon,  palest  on  the  abdomen. 
Wings  and  tail  olive-brown  edged  with  olive-green.  Two  indistinct  lateral 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  245 

crown  stripes  brownish  mouse-gray.     A  transocular   streak  dusky.      Bill   and 
feet  pinkish  buff  remaining  quite  pale  later. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  July,  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 
Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

Resembles  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  grayish  olive-green,  the  lateral  crown 
stripes  and  the  postocular  streak  black,  the  median  stripe  and  the  superciliary 
lines  pale  buff-yellow  or  deep  cream-color.  Below,  cream- color  washed  on  the 
throat  with  buff-yellow  and  on  the  flanks  with  olive-buff. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  not 
obvious,  the  tints  fading  slightly. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  about  the  first  of  July.     Adults  are  in- 
distinguishable from  young  birds  although  sometimes  paler. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear   as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  in  all  plumages  and  the  moults 
are  identical. 

Helminthophila  pinus  (Linn.).     BLUE-WINGED  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    a    complete    postnatal 
moult. 

Entire  body  plumage  olive-yellow  darkest  on  the  back  and  throat.  Wings  and  tail 
slate-gray  largely  edged  with  plumbeous  gray,  the  tertiaries  and  coverts  with 
olive-yellow ;  the  greater  and  median  coverts  tipped  with  white,  yellow 
tinged.  Rectrices  largely  white.  Lores  dusky.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff 
becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  July,  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail, 
young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  bright  olive-green,  lemon- yellow  on  the 
crown  veiled  by  greenish  tips.  Below,  bright  lemon-yellow,  the  crissum  white 
or  merely  tinged  with  yellow.  Transocular  streak  black.  Wing  coverts  plum- 
beous gray,  edged  with  olive-green,  the  greater  and  median  tipped  with  white, 
yellow  tinged,  forming  two  broad  wing  bands. 


246  DWIGHT 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  produces 
little  change  except  to  expose  the  concealed  yellow  of  the  crown 
by  loss  of  the  greenish  feather  tips. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a   complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  first 
winter  dress,  the  yellow  of  the  crown   rather  more  conspicuous 
and  the  yellow  below  a  trifle  deeper. 

6.  ADULT    NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear   as   in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — Indistinguishable  from  the  male  in  Juvenal  plumage  ; 
in  later  plumages  distinguished  by  the  duller  black  of  the  trans- 
ocular  streak  and  by  very  little  yellow  on  the  crown. 

I  am  able  to  throw  little  additional  light  on  the  supposed  hy- 
brids H.  leucobronchialis  and  H.  lawrencei.  Of  two  specimens 
in  my  collection  from  the  same  brood  and  fed  by  a  typical  H. 
pinusone  (No.  4434,  9  ,  June  28th,  New  Jersey)  is  in  the  Juvenal 
dress  of  this  species  with  many  new  yellow  feathers  of  the  first 
winter  plumage  appearing,  the  other  (No.  4433,  <?),  is  in  similar 
juvenal  dress,  but  is  acquiring  on  the  throat  the  black  feathers  of 
H.  lawrencei. 


Helmmthophila  chrysoptera  (Linn.).     GOLDEN-WINGED 
WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  grayish  or  brownish  olive-green.  Wings  and  tail  slate-black  edged  chiefly 
with  bluish  plumbeous  gray,  the  coverts  and  tertiaries  with  olive-green.  Below, 
pale  olive-yellow,  the  throat  dusky.  Transocular  streak  dusky.  Bill  and  feet 
pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  July,  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings   nor  the  tail, 
young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Unlike  previous  plumage.  Above,  plumbeous  gray  veiled  with  olive-green  edg- 
ings ;  the  crown  bright  lemon-yellow  veiled  posteriorly  only.  Below, 
grayish  white,  with  yellow  edgings  here  and  there,  the  chin,  jugulum,  lores 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  247 

and  auriculars  jet-black  veiled  slightly  with  pale  buff.  Broad  submalar 
stripes  joining  at  angle  of  the  chin,  and  superciliary  lines  white.  Outer  half 
of  median  and  greater  coverts  bright  lemon-yellow  forming  an  almost  con- 
tinuous wing  patch,  lesser  coverts  plumbeous  gray,  edged  with  olive-green. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  through  which 
the   buff  edgings  of  the  black  areas,  the   olive  edgings  of  the 
back  and  the  yellow  edgings  below  are  almost  completely  lost, 
the  plumage  becoming  clear  gray,  white,  yellow  and  black. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial   moult  in  July.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  the 
young  bird,  the  veiling  usually  less  marked  or  absent,  and  black 
occupying  the  whole  interramal  space  which  is  white  in  the  first 
winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE    acquired   by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — In  Juvenal  plumage  the  sexes  are  alike.  In  first 
winter  and  other  plumages  olive-gray,  dusky  on  the  lores  and 
auriculars,  replaces  the  black  areas  of  the  male,  and  olive-yellow 
marks  the  crown.  Above,  the  plumage  is  greenish  ;  the  sub- 
malar  stripes  are  grayish. 


Helminthophila    ruficapilla   (Wils.).      NASHVILLE   WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Pileum  hair-brown,  back  darker,  olive-tinged,  and  rump  olive-green.  Below,  pale 
yellowish  wood-brown,  straw-yellow  on  abdomen  and  crissum.  Wings  and 
tail  olive-brown  broadly  edged  with  bright  olive-green,  the  median  and  greater 
coverts  tipped  with  pale  buff-yellow  forming  two  wing  bands.  Lores  and 
auriculars  mouse-gray,  the  orbital  ring  pale  buff.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff, 
dusky  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  middle  of  July,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but   not  the  rest   of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail.     Young  and  old  becqme  practically  indistinguishable  in 
many  cases. 


248  DWIGHT 

Above,  grayish  hair-brown  becoming  bright  olive-yellow  on  the  rump  and  wing 
coverts ;  a  variable,  small  area  of  chestnut  on  the  crown  concealed  by  the 
feather  tips.  Below,  canary-yellow,  brightest  on  the  throat,  breast  and  cris- 
sum,  slightly  veiled  by  grayish  feather  tips,  the  flanks  washed  with  brownish 
olive-buff.  Sides  of  head  and  neck  smoke-gray.  Conspicuous  orbital  ring 
buffy  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  crown,  sides  of  head  and  throat, 
but  not  the  rest  of  the  body  plumage  nor  the  wings  and  tail. 
The  head  becomes  plumbeous  gray,  the  edgings  only  half  con- 
cealing the  rich  chestnut   of  the   crown.      The   orbital  ring   is 
white  and  conspicuous.     Wear  is  marked,  bringing  the  gray  of 
the  nape  into  contrast  with  the  greenish  back,  later  exposing  the 
chestnut  of  the  crown. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnuptial 
moult  in  July,  and   practically  indistinguishable  in   many  cases 
from  first  winter  dress,   but  usually  the   chestnut  area  on  the 
crown  is  larger  and  the  color  deeper,  the  gray  areas  darker  and 
the  yellow  below  brighter. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird.     It  does  not  seem  prob- 
able that  by  wear  alone  the  brownish  gray  tips  of  the  chestnut 
crown  feathers  and  the  brownish  gray  tints  of  the  head  in  autumn 
can  become  so  decidedly  plumbeous  by  spring,  and  besides  the 
most  worn  spring  birds  show  comparatively  little  wear. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  The  sexes  are  alike  in  Juvenal  plumage.  In  first  winter 
plumage,  the  chestnut  of  the  crown  is  lacking  or  a  mere  trace. 
In  first  nuptial  plumage,  acquired  partly  by  a  limited  prenuptial 
moult,  the  chestnut  is  increased  although  new  feathers  both  with 
and  without  chestnut  grow  on  the  crown.  Two  specimens  from 
Jalapa,  Mexico,  April  7th  (Am.  Mus.,  Nos.  68548  and  68549), 
show  pin-feathers  on  the  crown  and  throat.  The  adult  winter 
plumage  is  practically  like  the  male  adult  winter  and  later  plum- 
ages are  very  similar  to  those  of  the  male,  the  gray  and  yellow 
usually  duller. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF  NEW  YORK  249 

Helminthophila    celata   (Say).     ORANGE-CROWNED    WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  brownish  olive-green.  Wings  and  tail  olive-brown,  broadly  edged  with 
bright  olive-green,  the  median  and  greater  coverts  tipped  with  buff.  Below, 
greenish  buff  paler  and  yellower  on  abdomen  and  crissum.  Lores  and  auricu- 
lars  grayish  buff.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  dusky  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but 
not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  bright  olive-green,  mostly  concealed  on  the  pileum  and  nape  with  pale 
mouse-gray  edgings  that  blend  into  the  green.  The  crown  brownish  orange 
concealed  by  greenish  feather  tips.  Wing  coverts  broadly  edged  with  dull 
olive-green,  sometimes  the  greater  coverts  with  faint  whitish  tips.  Below, 
pale  olive-yellow,  grayish  on  the  chin  and  sides  of  neck  with  very  indistinct 
olive-gray  streaking.  A  dusky  anteorbital  spot.  Lores,  orbital  ring  and  indis- 
tinct superciliary  stripe  mouse-gray. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  anterior  part  of  the  head  and 
the  chin.     A  richer,  half  concealed,  orange  crown  patch  is  ac- 
quired ;  the  lores  and  adjacent  parts  become  grayer,  the  anteorbital 
spot    darker.     Wear   makes  birds   greener  above   and  slightly 
yellower  below.     Young  and  old   become  practically  indistin- 
guishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.      Differs  chiefly  from  first  winter  dress  in  possess- 
ing  a  larger,  more  distinct  crown  patch.     The  color  below  is 
uniform  and  paler. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial- 
moult,  as  in  the  young  bird.     Several  March  specimens,  appa- 
rently adults,  show  pin-feathers  on  the  throat  and  head. 

Female. — The  sexes  and  the  moults  are  practically  alike,  al- 
though the  female  is  usually  a  little  duller.  In  first  winter  plu- 
mage, however,  the  crown  patch  is  usually  wholly  lacking,  and 
the  first  prenuptial  moult  is  more  or  less  suppressed. 


250  DWIGHT 

Helminthophila  peregrina  (Wils.).     TENNESSEE  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Similar  to  H.  ruficapilla  but  lacking  the  brownish  cast  and  with  a  faint  dusky  trans- 
ocular  stripe.  Above  dull  grayish  olive-green,  the  rump  brighter.  Wings  and 
tail  clove-brown,  the  primaries  whitish  edged,  the  secondaries  tertiaries  and 
wing  coverts  greenish  edged  with  two  yellowish  white  wing  bands.  Below 
grayish  buff  rapidly  fading  when  older  to  a  greenish  gray  ;  abdomen  and  cris- 
sum  pale  straw-yellow.  Trace  of  dusky  transocular  streak.  Bill  and  feet 
pinkish  buff,  dusky  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning   about  the  middle  of  July  in  eastern  Canada, 
which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not 
the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the   tail,   young   and   old   becoming 
practically  indistinguishable. 

Resembles  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  bright  olive-green,  gray  tinged  on  the 
pileum.  Below,  olive-yellow  darker  on  the  flanks,  the  abdomen  and  crissum 
white.  Superciliary  line  and  orbital  ring  buff.  Transocular  streak  dull  black. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the   head,  chin  and  throat.     The 
ashy  gray  cap  is  acquired,  the  chin,  throat  and  superciliary  line 
become  white,  the    throat  is   tinged   with  cream-buff  and  the 
transocular  streak  black.     The  yellow  tints  of  the  feathers  re- 
tained below  are  lost  by  wear. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  first 
winter,  but  somewhat  grayer  above  and  whiter  below. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  evidently  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird.     A  specimen  (Am.  Mus., 
No.    39688)  from  Tehuantepec,   Mexico,  January  I4th,  shows 
new  growth  of  feathers  about  the  head. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  The  sexes  are  alike  in  Juvenal  plumage.  In  first 
winter  plumage  differs  from  the  male  in  having  the  lower  parts 
more  washed  with  olive-green.  The  prenuptial  moult  is  less 
extensive  and  the  crown  never  becomes,  even  in  later  plumages, 
as  gray  as  that  of  the  male,  but  always  has  a  brown  or  green- 
ish tinge. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  251 

Compsothypis  americana  (Linn.).     PARULA  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Smoke-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  brownish  olive-gray  ;  indistinct  superciliary  stripe  and 
orbital  ring  white,  yellow  tinged  ;  faint  dusky  transocular  streak.  Wings  clove- 
brown,  the  edgings  chiefly  olive-green,  bluish  on  the  primaries  and  their  coverts. 
Two  wing  bands  tipping  coverts,  white.  Tail  clove-brown  edged  with  ashy 
blue  the  outer  rectrices  with  subterminal  white  blotches  on  their  inner  webs. 
Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former  becoming  dusky,  the  latter  deep  sepia- 
brown  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the   middle  of  July,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  including  sides  of  head,  bluish  plumbeous 
gray  veiled  by  olive-green  edgings,  the  back  chestnut-tinged  veiled  by  olive- 
yellow.  Below,  canary-yellow  on  chin  and  throat,  veiling  a  pectoral  band  of 
pale  chestnut,  which  is  dusky  on  the  jugulum  and  invaded  by  the  gray  of  the 
sides  of  the  neck.  The  abdomen  and  crissum,  white,  veiled  slightly  with  edg- 
ings of  canary-yellow,  the  sides  and  flanks  faintly  washed  with  cinereous  gray 
and  pale  chestnut.  The  wing  coverts  are  bluish  plumbeous  gray,  broadly 
tipped  with  white  yellow-tinged,  forming  two  wing  bands.  Indistinct  super- 
ciliary line  and  large  suborbital  spot  white.  A  dusky  transocular  streak. 

Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable  in  many 
cases,  the  young  birds  usually  duller  and  especially  lacking  in 
chestnut  on  the  chin. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  head,  chin  and  throat,  but  not 
the  rest  of  the  body  plumage,  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  ashy 
blue  crown  feathers  faintly  dusky  centrally,  the  blackish  ones 
of  the  sides  of  the  head  with  a  white  spot  above  and  below  the 
eye  and  the  yellow  or  chestnut-tinged  chin  feathers  as  far  as  the 
pectoral  band  or  farther  are  assumed  by  moult.     W7ear  brings 
the  back  into  contrast  with  the  nape  and  whitens  the  lower  parts. 
The  wings  and  tail  are  browner  and  more  worn  than  in  the  adult, 
especially  the  primary  coverts. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnuptial 
moult  in  July.      Practically   indistinguishable   from  first  winter 


252  DWIGHT 

dress  in  some  cases,  but  usually  bluer  with  blacker  wings  and  tail, 
with  bluer  wing  edgings  (especially  the  primary  coverts),  darker 
transocular  streak,  the  edgings  above  more  scanty,  the  pectoral 
band  broader  and  both  parts  of  it  darker  and  the  chin  usually 
tinged  with  chestnut. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  evidently  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird.  The  bluer  wing  edgings 
and  the  blacker  primary  coverts  constitute  the  only  fairly  con- 
stant differences  between  young  and  old.  Differs  from  adult 
winter  dress  chiefly  in  the  deeper  blue  of  the  head,  blackness  in 
loral  and  ocular  regions  with  a  small  white  spot  above  and 
below  the  eye,  and  in  the  unveiling  of  concealed  tints  elsewhere. 

Female. — Not  distinguishable  from  the  male  until  the  first  winter 
plumage  is  assumed  when  the  chestnut  of  the  pectoral  band  is 
much  restricted  or  lacking,  and  the  upper  parts  are  greener.  The 
first  nuptial  plumage  is  assumed  by  a  limited  prenuptial  moult,  a 
female  taken  in  Jamaica,  West  Indies,  January  29th,  showing 
actual  moult  on  the  head  and  throat.  The  colors  assumed  are 
duller  than  those  of  male  in  first  nuptial  dress  but  similarly  dis- 
tributed. The  adult  winter  plumage  resembles  the  male  in  first 
winter  dress  but  the  primary  coverts  are  usually  bluer  and  the 
chestnut  more  restricted.  The  adult  nuptial  plumage  differs  little 
from  this  and  later  plumages  are  always  duller  than  those  of  the 
male. 

The  separation  of  northern  birds  into  a  subspecies  known  as 
usnece  is  based  upon  extremely  slender  characters,  the  variation 
between  individuals  being  greater  than  the  differences  described. 
The  first  prenuptial  moult  usually  produces  americana  especi- 
ally if  it  does  not  extend  to  the  chestnut  portion  of  the  pectoral 
band.  Later  prenuptial  moults  probably  produce  iisncce  with  the 
deeper  colors  peculiar  to  adults.  If  it  were  not  that  some  young 
birds  also  acquire  deep  colors,  the  matter  would  be  less  compli- 
cated. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  253 

Dendroica  tigrina  (Gmel.).     CAPE  MAY  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dark  hair-brown,  olive  tinged  on  the  back.  Wings  and  tail  black,  edged 
chiefly  with  dull  brownish  olive-green,  the  coverts  with  drab  and  tipped  with 
buffy  white.  The  two  outer  rectrices  with  subterminal  white  spots.  Below, 
including  sides  of  head,  mouse-gray  with  dusky  mottling  or  streaking  on  the 
breast  and  sides  ;  the  abdomen  and  crissum  dingy  white  faintly  tinged  with 
primrose-yellow.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  July  in  eastern  Canada,  which  involves 
the  body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  dull  olive-green,  each  feather  centrally  clove-brown  veiled  with  olive-gray 
edgings  ;  the  rump  canary-yellow,  the  feathers  basally  black.  Below,  including 
sides  of  neck,  superciliary  lines  and  spot  under  eye,  canary-yellow,  palest  on  ab- 
domen and  crissum,  narrowly  streaked  on  sides  of  chin,  on  the  throat,  breast  and 
sides  with  black  which  is  veiled  by  grayish  edgings  ;  auriculars  mouse-gray. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  much  of  the  body  plumage  but  not  the 
wings  nor  the  tail.     The  black  crown,  the  streaks  on  the  back, 
the  chestnut  ear-patches  and  the  streaked  yellow  of  the  throat 
and   breast  are  acquired.     A   specimen  of  January  3Oth  from 
Jamaica,  WT.  I.,  shows  new  growth  on  the  throat. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.     Similar  to  first  winter  plumage  but  the 
head  black,  the  back  streaked  and  everywhere  veiled  with  smoke- 
gray  edgings.      Below,  whitish  edgings  obscure  the  black  streaks, 
the  chestnut  ear-coverts  and  the  bright  lemon-yellow  areas.     The 
wings  and  tail  are  blacker  than  in  first  winter,  the  back  is  black, 
either  streaked  or  spotted,  and  the  yellow  below  is  deeper. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as   in  the  young  bird.     The  change  from  the  previous 
plumage  is  so  slight  as  to  suggest  the  possibility  of  wear  alone, 
the  amount  of  which  is  not,  however,  as   strikingly  variable  in 
different  spring  individuals  as  might  be  expected  if  the  young 
alone   undergo  a  prenuptial   moult.     I   confess  I  am  in  doubt, 
with  so  little  available  material. 


254  DWIGHT 

Female. — Not  distinguishable  from  the  male  until  the  first 
winter  plumage  is  assumed,  which  is  duller  and  browner  above, 
and  generally  without  yellow  below,  being  dull  white  with  gray 
streaking.  The  first  nuptial  shows  a  little  yellow  assumed  by 
a  limited  prenuptial  moult.  The  adult  winter  plumage  is  similar 
to  the  male  in  first  winter  dress,  the  yellow  below  rather  paler 
and  with  less  heavy  streaking.  Later  plumages  are  duller  than 
those  of  the  male. 


Dendroica  aestiva  (Gmel.).     YELLOW  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  pale  olive-brown.  Wings  clove-brown  broadly  edged  with  bright  olive- 
yellow  paling  at  tips  of  the  quills,  the  edge  of  the  outer  primary  bright  lemon- 
yellow.  Tail  pale  clove-brown,  the  inner  webs  of  the  rectrices  lemon-yellow, 
the  outer  edged  with  olive-yellow.  Below,  pale  sulphur-yellow,  unstreaked. 
Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  the  former  becoming  slaty,  the  latter  deep  sepia - 
brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  early  in  July,  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  the 
wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  yellower  and  somewhat  obscurely  streaked  below. 
Above,  pale  yellowish  olive-green,  the  edgings  of  the  wing  coverts  paler.  Be- 
low, dull  lemon-yellow  obscurely,  narrowly  and  sparingly  streaked  on  the 
throat  and  sides  with  pale  chestnut. 

The  paler  yellow  lower*  parts,  but  slightly  streaked,  distin- 
guish young  birds  from  old. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which   involves   most   of   the   body  plumage,  the   wing 
coverts  and  the  tertiaries,  but  not  the  primaries,  their  coverts,  the 
secondaries,  nor  the  tail.     The  whole  plumage  becomes  golden 
lemon-yellow,    greener    above    and    brightly    streaked    on    the 
throat,  breast  and  sides  with  pale  chestnut,  somewhat  veiled  by 
the  feather  edgings.     The  forehead  and  crown  are  yellower  than 
the  back  and  usually  chestnut  tinged.     The  tertiaries  and  wing 
coverts  are  broadly  edged  with  bright  lemon-yellow.     An  un- 
dated  specimen  from  French  Guiana  (Am.   Mus.,  No.  39844), 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  255 

with  worn,  narrowly  streaked  breast-feathers  shows  pin-feathers 
about  the  head,  throat  and  back.  This  bird  may  be  an  adult 
female,  but  the  fact  of  moult  is  proved  just  the  same.  Young 
and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.     Similar  to  first  winter  dress  but  the  yel- 
low richer,  and  streaked  more  or  less  heavily  on  throat  and  sides 
with  pale  chestnut  veiled  by  the  overlapping  feather  edges.     The 
bill  is  usually  darker.     The  primary  coverts  are  darker  and  more 
conspicuously   edged.     The  crown  is  not   orange   or  chestnut 
tinged  as  in  nuptial  dress. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird,  from  which  it  is  practically  indis- 
tinguishable save  in  some  marked  cases  by  the  darker  wings  and 
tail  most  obvious  in  the  primary  coverts.     The  yellowish  orange 
forehead  and  the  chestnut  streaks  below,  heavier  than  in  adult 
winter  dress,  are  assumed  at  this  moult. 

Female. — Not  distinguishable  until  the  first  winter  plumage  is 
assumed,  which  is  paler  and  lacks  the  streaking  of  the  male. 
The  first  nuptial  is  assumed  by  a  limited  prenuptial  moult,  be- 
coming yellower  than  the  previous  plumage  and  acquiring  a  few 
obscure  chestnut  streaks  below.  The  adult  winter  plumage  re- 
sembles the  first  winter,  but  the  yellow  is  deeper  and  there  are  a 
few  chestnut  streaks  below,  birds  sometimes  resembling  quite 
closely  males  in  first  winter  dress.  Later  plumages  differ  little. 

Dendroica    cserulescens    (GmeL).      BLACK-THROATED    BLUE 

WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  auriculars,  olive-brown.  Wings  dull  black,  the  primaries  with  a 
large  white  blotch  basally  and  edged  with  bluish  plumbeous  gray,  the 
secondaries,  tertiaries  and  coverts  with  olive-green.  Tail  black  with  sub- 
terminal  white  blotches  on  the  outer  rectrices  and  edged  broadly  with  clear 
bluish  plumbeous  gray.  Below,  dull  brownish  white,  yellow  tinged  on  throat 
and  abdomen.  Lores  and  two  submalar  streaks  dusky  ;  superciliary  stripe 
yellowish  white.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former  becoming  black,  the 
latter  sepia. 


256  DWIGHT 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  late  in  July  in  eastern  Canada,  which  involves 
the  body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail.     Occasionally  an  old  Juvenal  covert  is  retained 
and  sometimes  one  or  more  black  tertiaries  or  black-spotted  back 
feathers  are  assumed. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  bluish  plumbeous  gray  bluest  on  the  head, 
and  everywhere  veiled  with  olive-green  edgings.  Below,  white,  tinged  with 
pale  yellow  or  buff  on  the  flanks  ;  sides  of  head  including  superciliary  line,  the 
chin,  throat,  sides  of  breast  and  abdomen  and  the  tibiae  black,  veiled  slightly 
with  ashy  gray,  the  interramal  space  usually  white.  The  wing  coverts  are  black, 
edged  with  bluish  plumbeous  gray.  There  are  usually  a  few  white  feathers  on 
the  lower  eyelid. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  probably  by  an  extremely 
limited  prenuptial  moult  confined  to  the  head  and  chin.      Blue- 
gray  crown  feathers  and  black  interramal  ones  are  assumed  by 
moult,  the  greenish  edgings  above  and  the  ashy  ones  of  the  black 
areas  being  lost  by  wear  which  is  marked.      Young  and  old  be- 
come indistinguishable  except  by  the  brown  wrorn  wings  and  tail 
most  noticeable  in  the  primary  coverts  of  the  young  bird.     Al- 
though most  of  the  white  interramal  feathers  are  basally  black 
wear  alone  of  this  region  could  scarcely  produce  the  uniformly 
black  feathers  found  on  spring  birds. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Differs  from  first  winter  in  being  of  a 
bluer  gray  above  without  greenish  edgings,  the  back  often  with 
a  few  black  spots,  the  crown  with  concealed  dusky  shaft  streaks. 
The  black  below  solid,  including  the  interramal  space,  the  veil- 
ing absent  or  slight,  the  primaries  with  a  larger  area  of  white. 
The  wings  and  tail  are  blacker  and  the  edgings  bluer,  showing 
well  in  the  primary  coverts.     There  is  no  white  on  the  lower 
eyelid.     Young  and  old  become  indistinguishable. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  perhaps  by  a  limited  pre- 
nuptial moult  as  in  the  young  bird,  wear  producing  no  obvious 
changes.     The  less  worn,  blacker  wings  with  bluer  edgings  dis- 
tinguish adults  from  young  in  first  nuptial  dress.     The  freshness 
of  crown  and  chin  feathers,  the  former  sometimes  with  blacker 
shaft  streaks  than  in  autumn,  point  to  a  moult. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  257 

Female. — The  females  have  corresponding  plumages  and 
moults.  Even  in  Juvenal  plumage  a  difference  from  the  male 
can  be  observed  in  the  dull  brown  wings  and  tail  with  greenish 
instead  of  bluish  edgings,  and  the  white  area  at  the  bases  of  the 
primaries  is  dingy  and  sometimes  absent.  In  first  winter  plu- 
mage the  bird  is  olive-green  above,  and  yellowish  buff  below  ; 
the  wings  and  tail  olive- brown,  the  latter  without  white  blotches, 
the  superciliary  line  and  the  lower  eyelid  are  buffy-white ;  the 
lores  and  auriculars  are  a  dull  drab.  The  first  nuptial  plumage 
is  acquired  apparently  wholly  by  wear,  which  makes  the  bird 
grayer  above  and  whiter  below.  The  adult  winter  plumage  is 
bluer  above  than  the  first  winter,  especially  on  the  head,  lesser 
coverts  and  wing  edgings,  and  paler  below,  the  tail  showing  traces 
of  dingy  blotches  on  the  lateral  rectrices.  The  white  area  of  the 
primaries  is  larger  and  whiter.  The  lores  and  auriculars  are 
dusky.  The  adult  nuptial  and  later  plumages  are  very  similar 
to  the  adult  winter. 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  southern  race  described  as  cairnsi 
may  prove  to  be  untenable,  as  the  blackness  of  the  back  might 
easily  be  due  to  age  rather  than  locality. 


Dendroica  coronata  (Linn.).     MYRTLE  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimens  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  the  feathers  centrally  dull  black,  edged  with  drab  and  buffy  brown,  produc- 
ing a  streaked  effect.  Below,  much  whiter  but  similarly  streaked,  a  tinge  of  pale 
primrose-yellow  on  the  abdomen.  Wings  and  tail  dull  black,  edged  with  drab, 
palest  on  primaries  and  outer  rectrices.  Two  very  indistinct  buffy  white  wing 
bands.  Upper  and  lower  eyelids  with  dull  white  spots.  Bill  and  feet  dusky 
pinkish  buff,  the  former  becoming  black,  the  latter  deep  sepia. 

Birds  at  this  stage  (see  Auk,  XVI,  1899,  p.  217,  plate  III), 
bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  young  of  Spinus  pimis. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  in  August  in  eastern   Canada,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail. 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Scr.,  XIII,  Oct.  18,  1900—17. 


258  DWIGHT 

Entirely  different  from  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  sepia-brown,  grayer  on  the 
back  and  obscurely  streaked  with  black,  the  rump  and  a  concealed  crown  spot 
lemon-yellow,  the  upper  tail  coverts  black,  broadly  edged  with  plumbeous  gray. 
Wing  coverts  black,  plumbeous  edged  and  tipped  with  white  tinged  with  wood- 
brown  forming  two  wing  bands.  Below,  dull  white,  washed  with  pale  buff  on 
the  throat  and  sides  and  obscurely  streaked  on  the  breast  and  sides  with  black, 
veiled  by  whitish  edgings.  Sides  of  breast  with  dull  yellow  patches.  In- 
complete orbital  ring  and  faintly  indicated  superciliary  stripe  white  or  buffy. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  most  of  the  body  plumage  and  wing  cov- 
erts, occasionally  a  tertiary  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail.     The  black  and  gray  of  the  upper  surface,  the  white  wing 
bars  and  the  yellow  crown  and  rump  are  new,  some  of  the  old 
upper  tail  coverts  and  a  part  of  the  feathers  of  the  abdomen  and 
crissum  being  retained  in  many  cases  and  less  often  those  of  the 
back  and  elsewhere.     Young  and  old  become  practically  indis- 
tinguishable although  the  young  usually  have  browner  and  more 
worn  wings  and  tails,  obvious  in  the  primary  coverts,  but  the 
differences  are  not  absolute. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult  beginning  late  in  July.      Differs   little   from  the 
first  winter  dress,  but  the  wings  and  tail  are  blacker  with  brighter 
gray  edgings,  noticeable  especially  in  the  primary  coverts.     The 
back  is  usually  grayer  and  the  lower  parts  whiter,  with  broader 
streakings  above  and  below. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult,  as  in  the  young  bird  from  which  the  adult  is  usually  dis- 
tinguishable by  blacker  wings  and  grayer  edgings,  especially  of 
the  primary  coverts. 

Female. — The  female  has  plumages  and  moults  correspond- 
ing to  the  male,  from  which  she  is  not  distinguishable  until  the 
first  winter  plumage  is  assumed,  and  then  not  in  all  cases.  The 
black  streaking  of  this  dress  is  less  obvious  both  above  and  be- 
low than  in  the  male,  the  plumage  everywhere  is  browner,  and 
the  crown  patch  very  obscure.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  as- 
sumed by  a  restricted  moult,  leaving  behind  many  brown 
feathers.  The  brown  feathers  of  the  lores  and  auriculars  are 
assumed  by  moult.  The  adult  winter  plumage  is  little  different 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  259 

from  the  first  winter,  the  wings  and  tail  rather  blacker,  the  edg- 
ings grayer  and  the  streakings  more  obvious  resembling  the  male 
in  first  winter  dress.  The  adult  nuptial  is  acquired  both  by 
moult  and  by  wear.  The  most  highly  colored  females  are 
almost  always  duller  than  the  dullest  males  in  corresponding 
plumages.  A  large  series  of  specimens  taken  every  month  in 
the  year  shows  clearly  the  changes  by  moult  and  by  wear  in 
the  plumages  of  this  Warbler,  which  is  the  only  one  that  ever 
passes  the  winter  in  this  latitude. 


Dendroica  maculosa  (Gmel.).     MAGNOLIA  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dark  sepia-brown,  soon  fading,  usually  paler  on  the  crown  and  obscurely 
streaked  with  clove-brown.  Wings  and  tail  dull  black,  chiefly  edged  with  ashy 
or  plumbeous  gray,  the  secondaries,  tertiaries  and  wing  coverts  with  drab,  two 
wing  bands  pale  buff;  the  rectrices  white  on  inner  web  of  basal  half.  Below, 
pale  sulphur-yellow,  dusky  or  grayish  on  the  throat  and  streaked  or  mottled 
except  on  the  abdomen  and  crissum  with  deep  olive-brown.  Lores  and  orbital 
region  ashy  brown.  Bill  dusky  pinkish  buff,  black  when  older.  Feet  pinkish 
buff,  pale  sepia  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  July,  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Entirely  different  from  the  previous  plumage.  Head  and  nape  chiefly  mouse-gray, 
the  back  olive-yellow  veiling  black  or  dusky  spots  ;  rump  lemon-yellow,  upper 
tail  coverts  black,  with  broad  plumbeous  edgings.  Below,  bright  lemon-yellow, 
white  on  abdomen  and  crissum,  with  an  ashy  pectoral  band  and  streaked  ob- 
scurely on  sides  of  breast  and  on  the  flanks  with  black,  veiled  by  overlapping 
yellow  edgings.  Wing  coverts  black,  ecged  with,  gray  or  olive-green  and  tipped 
with  white  forming  tv^p  distinct  wing  bands.  Broad  orbital  ring  buffy  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult   which   involves   most   of  the   body   plumage,   the   wing 
coverts  and  sometimes  a  few  tertiaries,  but   not  the  rest   of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail.     Young   and   old   become  practically  indis- 
tinguishable except  by  the  wings  and  tail,  especially  the  primary 
coverts,  all  of  which  are  usually  browner  and   more  worn  than 
in  adults. 


260  DWIGHT 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Similar  to  the  first  winter  dress  but  the 
streaking  below  broader,  and  the  wings  and   tail   blacker  with 
grayer  edgings  ;  but  none  of  these  differences  are  constant,  and 
a  dull  adult  may  easily  be  mistaken  for  a  high-colored  young 
bird.     Spotting  on  the  back  is  more  extensive  and  a  solid  patch 
of  black  may  be  assumed. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  the  same  areas  as  in  the  young  bird  with 
similar  results.     Black   edging  on   the  nape  and  a  more  solid 
black  patch  on  the   back  may   be   acquired,  with  less   of  the 
greenish  edgings  that  are  common  to  young  birds.     The  wings 
and  tail  being  blacker,  show  less  wear. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  of  the  female  correspond 
to  those  of  the  male,  the  prenuptial  moult  always  more  restricted 
as  is  regularly  the  case  with  females  of  all  species.  The  Juvenal 
plumage  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  male,  the  wings  and  tail  and 
their  edgings  duller.  The  first  winter  plumage  is  browner  above, 
especially  on  the  pileum  than  that  of  the  male,  the  yellow  rather 
paler  below  and  the  streaking  scanty  and  obscure.  The  first 
nuptial  plumage  resembles  the  previous  dress  but  the  throat  is 
distinctly  streaked  with  black,  the  auriculars  are  blackish  instead 
of  gray,  trie  orbital  ring  whiter  and  posterior  part  of  the  super- 
ciliary line  white.  The  adult  winter  plumage  differs  but  slightly 
from  first  winter,  the  wing  edgings  grayer  and  the  streaks 
broader,  but  duller  than  the  male  first  winter.  The  adult  nuptial 
plumage  has  the  pileum  browner  than  in  nuptial  male  plumage, 
the  streaks  fewer  and  the  black  of  the  back  merely  streaks, 
never  solid. 

r\ 

Dendroica  caerulea  (Wils.).     CERULEAN  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  drab  with  rather  darker  edgings.  Wings  and  tail  dull  brownish  black 
edged  largely  with  bice-green,  the  primaries  with  bluish  cinereous  gray,  the 
tertiaries  with  grayish  white,  the  coverts  with  drab,  two  wing  bands  white. 
Below,  grayish  white,  faintly  tinged  with  primrose-yellow.  Bill  and  feet  pink- 
ish buff  becoming  dusky.  , 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  261 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  middle  of  July,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail. 

Above,  deep  bice-green,  partly  concealing  cinereous  gray  which  is  conspicuous  on 
the  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts,  the  latter  and  the  feathers  of  the  back  often 
black  centrally.  The  wing  coverts  with  bluish  cinereous  gray  edgings  ;  two 
wing  bands  white,  faintly  tinged  with  canary-yellow.  Below,  white,  strongly 
washed  except  on  chin,  abdomen  and  crissum  with  primrose-yellow,  the  sides 
and  flanks  streaked  obscurely  with  dull  black.  Superciliary  line  primrose- 
yellow  ;  lores  and  orbital  regions  whitish  ;  a  dusky  transocular  streak. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
.moult  which  involves  much  of  the  body  plumage  and  wing  co- 
verts, but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  grayish 
cerulean  blue,  the  black  streaks  on  the  back  and    the  white 
wing  bands  are  acquired  ;  below,  the  plumage  is  white  with  a 
narrow  bluish  black  band  on  the  throat  and  the  sides  distinctly 
streaked.     Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable, 
except  by  the  duller  wings  and  tail  of  the  Juvenal  dress. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Differs  from  first  winter  in  being  much 
bluer  and  whiter,  the  wings  and  tail  blacker  and  the  edgings 
a  bluer  gray.      Resembles  the  adult  nuptial,  but  rather  grayer  on 
the  back  and  the  throat  band  incomplete. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  edgings  of  the  wings  and  tail 
are  greener  tinged  than  those  of  the  male.  In  first  winter  plum- 
age the  green  above  is  duller  and  the  black  of  the  back  and  tail 
.coverts  is  lacking ;  below  there  is  more  yellow  and  the  side 
streaks  are  obscure.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  acquired  by 
a  moult  limited  chiefly  to  the  head  and  throat  which  become 
bluer  and  whiter  respectively.  Later  plumages  are  brighter,  but 
green  always  replaces  the  blue  of  the  male. 


262  DWIGHT 

Dendroica  pensylvanica  (Linn.).     CHESTNUT-SIDED  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.      No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dark  raw  umber-brown,  obscurely  streaked  or  spotted  on  the  back  with  dull 
black.  Wings  and  tail  dull  black,  chiefly  edged  with  ashy  or  plumbeous  gray  ; 
the  secondaries,  and  tertiaries  with  olive-yellow,  the  coverts  with  buff  forming 
two  wing  bands  yellow-tinged.  Below,  pale  umber-brown,  grayer  on  the  throat 
and  sides  of  head,  the  abdomen  and  crissum  dull  white.  Bill  and  feet  dusky 
pinkish  buff,  becoming  black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  late  in  June,  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  bright  olive-yellow  concealing  black  spots 
on  the  back  and  rump,  the  upper  tail  coverts  black,  tipped  with  cinereous  gray 
and  olive-yellow.  The  wing  coverts  black,  edged  with  olive-yellow,  two 
broad  wing  bands  canary-yellow  mixed  with  white.  Below,  grayish  white, 
pearl-gray  on  sides  of  head,  throat,  breast  and  flanks,  a  trace  of  chestnut  strip- 
ing the  flanks  terminating  in  a  lemon-yellow  spot.  Conspicuous  white  orbital 
ring. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  most  of  the  body  plumage  and  the  wing 
coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     Young  and 
old  become  practically  indistinguishable,  save  for  the  browner 
wings  and  tail  of  the  young  bird.     The  yellow  crown,  the  black 
and  white  about  the  head,  the  streaking  of  the  back  and  the 
lateral  chestnut  stripes  of  the  throat  and  sides  are  acquired. 

5.  A-DULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  in  July.      Differs  from  first  winter  dress   only  in  the 
broad  deep  chestnut  stripes  on  the  sides,  the  greater  amount  of 
black  on  the  back  and  the  slightly  blacker  wings  and  tail,  with 
brighter  edgings. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  from  which  it  is  first  distinguishable  in  first  winter 
plumage  when  the  white  below  is  duller  the  sides  grayer  and 
the  chestnut  stripes  altogether  lacking.  The  first  nuptial  plum- 
age, acquired  by  a  limited  moult,  resembles  that  of  the  male  in 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  263 

like  dress  but  is  lacking  in  intensity  of  the  colors.  The  adult 
winter  plumage  resembles  the  first  winter,  but  is  brighter  and 
with  a  trace  of  the  chestnut  stripes  like  the  male  first  winter 
dress.  In  adult  nuptial  plumages,  the  black  on  the  sides  of  head 
and  throat  is  regularly  duller  and  the  chestnut  striping  less  heavy 
than  in"  the  male. 


Dendroica  castanea  (Wils.).     BAY-BREASTED  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  wings,  tail  and  wing  coverts,  clove-brown,  edged  with  pale  bistre  ; 
two  wing  bands  dull  white.  Below,  white,  thickly  spotted  with  dull  black. 
Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,  in  July  and  August  in  eastern  Canada,  which  involves  the 
body  plumage  and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  unspotted.  Above,  yellowish  olive-green  with  dusky 
streaks  on  the  crown,  a  few  concealed  black  spots  on  the  back,  the  upper  tail  co- 
verts cinereous  gray.  Wing  coverts  edged  with  olive-green  and  two  broad  wing 
bands  white  tinged  with  yellow.  Below,  cream-color  washed  with  straw-yel- 
low on  the  throat  and  with  a  very  little  chestnut  on  the  flanks. 

Resembles  D.  striata  but  a  yellower  olive  above,  a  buffier  yellow  below  and  a  wash 
of  chestnut  on  the  flanks,  with  less  definite  streaking  above  and  none  below. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  most  of  the  body  plumage  and  wing  cov- 
erts but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  deep  chest- 
nut   crown,    paler   throat  and    lateral    stripes,   black    sides    of 
the  head  and  forehead,  olive-gray  back  streaked  with  black,  the 
rich  buff  patches  on  the  sides  of  the  neck  and  the  black  wing 
coverts,  plumbeous-edged   and  white-tipped,   are   all   assumed. 
Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable,  adults  usu- 
ally with  darker  wings  and  tail  noticeable  in  the  primary  coverts. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult   in   July.     Similar  to   first  winter   dress,  but  the 
crown,  nape  and  back  distinctly  streaked  with  black,  creamier 
tints  below  and  the  flanks  striped  distinctly  with  chestnut,  the 


264:  DWIGHT 

wings  and  tail  blacker  and  the  edgings  grayer  rather  than 
greener  as  in  the  young  bird  ;  a  few  chestnut  feathers  sometimes 
appear  on  the  throat  and  the  crown. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  Distinguishable  first  in  first  winter  plumage,  which  is 
a  clearer  green  without  the  crown  streaks  of  the  male,  the  black 
spots  on  the  back  duller  and  usually  even  a  trace  of  chestnut  is 
lacking  on  the  flanks.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  acquired  by  a 
limited  moult  approaches  in  pattern  and  color  that  of  the  male, 
but  is  much  duller  and  the  chestnut  limited.  The  adult  winter 
plumage  is  similar  to  the  first  winter,  but  whiter  below,  with  a 
a  wash  of  chestnut  on  the  flanks  and  with  crown  streaks  and  the 
dorsal  spots  better  defined,  resembling  closely  the  male  first 
winter  dress,  although  usually  rather  duller.  The  adult  nuptial 
plumage  is  practically  indistinguishable  from  the  first  nuptial,  the 
older  birds  with  richer  colors,  but  the  chestnut  is  at  most  merely 
a  crown  patch,  a  pectoral  band  and  a  wash  on  the  sides. 

Dendroica  striata  (Forst).     BLACK-POLL  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  olive-gray  obscurely  streaked  or  mottled  with  dull 
black.  Wings  and  tail  clove-brown  edged  with  dull  olive-green,  whitish  on 
the  tail,  tertiaries  and  wing  bands.  Two  rectrices  with  white  terminal  spots 
on  the  inner  webs.  Below,  dingy  white  mottled  with  dull  black.  Bill  and 
feet  pinkish  buff,  the  former  becoming  dusky,  the  latter  sepia. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  in  July  and  August  in  eastern  Canada,  which  involves 
the  body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings  and  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  unspotted.  Above,  including  sides  of  head,  olive- 
green,  olive-gray  on  tail-coverts,  rather  obscurely  streaked,  chiefly  on  the  back,, 
with  black.  The  wing  coverts  clove-brown  edged  with  olive-green  and  tipped 
with  white,  yellow-tinged.  Below,  very  pale  canary-yellow,  white  on  abdomen 
and  crissum  with  a  few  obscure  grayish  streaks  on  the  throat  and  sides.  A 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  265 

narrow  and  obscure  superciliary  line  and  orbital  ring  pale  canary  yellow  ;  the 
lores  whitish,  a  faint  dusky  transocular  stripe.  One  or  two  black  crown  feathers 
are  occasionally  assumed. 

Resembles  D.  castanea  and  D.  vigorsii  but  distinguishable  from  either  of  them  by 
the  streaked  back  and  duller  colors. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult    which   involves   most   of  the   body  plumage,   the   wing 
coverts  and  tertiaries,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 
Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable.     The  black 
cap  and  black  and  white  plumage  are  assumed,  at  first  evidently, 
somewhat  veiled  by  whitish  edgings.     The  early  beginning  of 
the  prenuptial  moult  is  indicated  by  a  specimen  labeled  Roraima, 
British    Guiana,   November    1st,  which  shows  active  moult  in 
progress  on  the  nape,  back,  abdomen  and  sides,  where  black  and 
white  feathers  are  replacing  yellowish  ones. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult  in  July.     Similar  to  first  winter  dress  but  whiter 
below,  the  streaking  often  distinctly  black  and  extending  to  the 
chin,  which  is  spotted  here  and  there  ;  above  the  crown  is  de- 
cidedly streaked  or  marked  with  stray  black  feathers  ;  the  wings 
and  tail  are  blacker  and  the  edgings  darker  and  grayer  especially 
on  the  tertiaries.     The  slight  sprinkling  of  black  feathers  is  like 
that  found  in  Dolichonyx  orizivorus  and  some  other  species  in 
the  autumn. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of  the 
male  from  which  it  is  first  distinguishable  in  first  winter  plum- 
age, but  not  in  every  case.  Females  are  then  a  little  greener 
above  and  yellower  below  including  the  crissum,  the  streaks  on 
the  sides  extremely  faint.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  acquired 
by  moult  is  a  little  paler  than  the  first  winter,  the  head,  back 
and  sides  with  distinct  black  streaks  ;  resembles  the  male  in  first 
winter  dress  but  more  decidedly  streaked.  The  adult  winter 
plumage  is  practically  indistinguishable  from  first  winter  but 
rather  paler  and  with  the  wing  edgings  darker.  The  adult  nup- 
tial plumage  much  resembles  the  male  in  adult  winter  dress  and 


266  DWIGHT 

is  merely  tinged  with  yellow  and  streaked  on  crown,  back,  sides 
of  chin,  throat,  and  sides  with  black.  The  black  cap  and  broad 
streaking  of  the  male  are  never  acquired. 

Dendroica  blackburniae  (Gmel.).      BLACKBURNIAN  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dark  sepia-brown  obscurely  streaked  on  the  back  with  clove-brown.  Wings 
and  tail  clove-brown  edged  with  olive-buff,  the  tertiaries  and  coverts  with  white 
forming  two  wing  bands  at  tips  of  greater  and  median  coverts  ;  the  outer  three 
rectrices  largely  white.  Below,  white,  washed  with  wood  brown  or  buff  on 
breast  and  sides,  spotted,  except  on  chin,  abdomen  and  crissum,  with  dull 
sepia.  Superciliary  stripe  cream-buff,  spot  on  upper  and  under  eyelid  white  ; 
lores  and  auriculars  dusky.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  becoming  dusky  later. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  August  in  eastern  Canada,  which  in- 
volves the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of 
the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  deep  yellowish  olive-gray,  flecked  on  the 
crown  and  streaked  on  the  back  with  black  ;  obscure  median  crown  stripe 
straw-yellow ;  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts  black,  edged  with  olive  gray. 
"Wing  coverts  clove-brown  edged  with  olive-gray  and  tipped  with  white  forming 
two  broad  wing  bands.  Below,  straw-yellow  brightening  to  orange-tinged 
lemon  on  the  throat,  fading  to  buffy  white  on  the  crissum  and  narrowly  streaked 
on  the  sides  with  black  veiled  by  yellow  edgings.  Superciliary  stripe  and 
postauricular  region  lemon-yellow  orange-tinged.  Auriculars,  rictal  streak  and 
transocular  stripe  olive-gray  mixed  with  black.  Suborbital  spot  yellowish 
white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  most  of  the  body  plumage  (except  posteri- 
orly), the  wing  coverts  and  sometimes  the  tertiaries  but  not  the 
rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     The  full  orange  and  black  plum- 
age is  assumed,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguish- 
able, the  orange  throat  equally  intense  in  both,  the  wings  and  tail 
usually  browner  in  the  young  bird  and  the  primary  coverts  a  key 
to  age. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.     Differs  little  from  the  first  winter  dress, 
but  the  yellow  more  distinctly  orange,  the  transocular  and  rictal 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  267 

streaks,  the  crown  and  auriculars  distinctly  black,  veiled  with 
orange  tips,  the  streaking  below  heavier  and  broader,  the  wings 
and  tail  blacker  and  the  edgings  grayer. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird.  Two  specimens,  apparently  adult 
males  judging  from  blackness  of  the  primary  wing  coverts  and 
other  characters  show  this  moult.  One  Am.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist., 
No.  39748,  from  Bogota,  Colombia,  shows  many  feathers  in 
their  sheaths  ;  with  No.  30330  from  Quito,  Ecuador,  the  moult 
is  less  advanced. 

Female, — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  wing  edgings  are  usually 
duller  the  first  winter  plumage  being  similar  to  that  of  the  male 
but  browner,  the  yellow  tints  nearly  lost  and  the  streakings  ob- 
scure and  grayish.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  assumed  by  a 
more  or  less  limited  prenuptial  moult,  is  grayer  above  and  paler 
below,  except  on  the  chin  and  throat  where  new  pale  orange 
feathers  contrast  with  the  worn  and  faded  ones  of  the  breast. 
The  adult  winter  plumage  is  practically  the  same  as  the  male 
first  winter,  the  auriculars  and  transocular  stripe  usually  duller. 
The  adult  nuptial  plumage  is  brighter  below  than  the  first  nuptial 
and  with  more  spotting  on  the  crown,  but  the  black  head  and 
bright  orange  throat  of  the  male  are  never  acquired. 

Dendroica    dominica  (Linri.).      YELLOW-THROATED  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above  olive-brown   with  dull  black  streaking.  Below,  dull  white,  streaked  with 

clove-brown  chiefly  anteriorly.     Wings  and  tail  dull  black,  edged  with  hoary 

plumbeous  gray,  the  tertiaries  with  olive-gray.  Outer  rectrices  with  white  spots. 
Bill  and  feet  brownish  black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
-moult,  early  in  June  in  Florida,  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  remiges  nor  rectrices. 

Above,  smoke-gray  veiled  with  sepia-brown  edgings,  the  feathers  of  the  forehead  ba- 
sally  black.      Below,  white  with  black  streaking  laterally,  the  chin  and  throat 


268  DWIGHT 

lemon-yellow,  bordered  with  black  which  extends  to  auriculars,  lores  and  fore- 
head. Superciliary  stripe  white,  anteriorly  tinged  with  lemon-yellow  ;  white 
postauricular  patch.  Wing  coverts  black,  the  greater  and  middle  tipped  with 
dull  white  forming  two  wing  bands. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  con- 
siderable, birds  becoming  much  grayer  above  and  clearer  white 
below.     Young   birds  have  browner  and  more  worn  primary 
coverts  than  do  adults. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult,  beginning  near  Washington,  D.  C.,  late  in  July. 
Adults    are  grayer  above   \vith  more  black  on  the    head    and 
whiter   below,  while   the   primary  coverts  are  blacker  than  in 
young  birds.     Young  and  old  now  become  absolutely  indistin- 
guishable. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  females,  however,  being  duller  in  colors,  much  washed 
in  autumn  with  brown  above  and  below,  and  the  black  about 
the  head  dull. 

Dendroica  virens  (Gmel.).    BLACK-THROATED  GREEN  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  sepia-brown  or  drab.  Wings  and  tail  dull  black,  edged  with  ashy  or  olive 
gray  ;  two  wing  bands  white  ;  the  outer  three  rectrices  largely  white.  Below, 
dull  white,  dusky  on  the  throat,  spotted  on  the  breast  and  sides  with  dull  olive- 
brown.  Indistinct  grayish  white  superciliary  line.  Dusky  transocular  streak. 
Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  black  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  middle  of  July,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  greenish  olive-yellow,  the  upper  tail  coverts 
ashy  or  plumbeous  gray  edged  with  olive-yellow.  The  feathers  of  the  crown 
and  back  especially  have  concealed  black  shaft  streaks.  The  wing  coverts 
are  black,  edged  with  olive-green  ;  two  broad  white  wing  bands  tipped  faintly 
with  yellow.  Below,  faint  primrose-yellow,  white  on  the  crissum  ;  the  breast 
and  a  spot  on  the  flanks  canary,  the  chin,  sides  of  head  and  neck  and  super- 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  269 

ciliary  line  bright  lemon-yellow  ;  a  variable  area  on  the  throat  seldom  including 
the  chin,  black,  veiled  by  long  yellow  edgings,  the  sides  and  flanks  broadly 
streaked  and  similarly  veiled.  Transocular  and  rictal  streaks  dusky ;  lores 
grayish. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult,  which  involves  chiefly  the  head,  chin  and  throat  and  not 
the  rest  of  the  plumage.     The  black  chin  is  assumed  and  the 
forehead  becomes  yellower  by  moult,  wear  removing  the  edgings 
everywhere  so  that  the  streakings  below  and  the  throat  become 
jet-black.     Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable, 
except  that  the  wings  and  tail  of  the  young  bird  will  average 
browner  and  more  worn  with  the  edgings  duller. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Differs  somewhat  from  the  first  winter, 
the  black  of  the  throat  extending  uninterruptedly  to  the  apex  of 
the  chin,  further  down  on  the  throat,  and  in  broader  stripes  on 
the  sides  ;  the  wings  and  tail  are  blacker  and  the  edgings  grayer, 
especially  on  the  tertiaries  ;  the  concealed  black  of  the  back  more 
extensive.     The  veiling  is  conspicuous  on  the  throat. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  wear, 
through  which  the  veiling  is  almost  completely  lost,  the  yellow- 
ish tips  of  the  winter  plumage  barbs  breaking  off  down  to  the 
black  portion  or  very  near  to  it.     As  all  the  black  feathers  of  the 
chin  in  adult  autumnal  birds  are  broadly  tipped  with  yellow,  and 
some  of  these    feathers    in    spring   show  unbroken  black    tips 
when  they  are  examined  under  a  glass,  it  is  logical  to  assume  a 
limited  replacement  which  scarcely  deserves  the  name  of  a  moult. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  of  the  female  correspond 
to  .those  of  the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  sexes  are  prac- 
tically alike.  In  first  winter  plumage  the  female  is  browner 
than  the  male,  without  the  black  throat  and  the  side  streaks 
obscure  ;  some  specimens  with  much  black  may,  however,  easily 
be  mistaken  for  dull  first  winter  males.  The  first  nuptial  plu- 
mage differs  very  little  from  the  first  winter,  wear  bringing  out 
the  streaking,  while  a  few  feathers  are  assumed  by  moult  on  the 
chin.  The  adult  winter  plumage  resembles  the  male  first  winter 
and  may  have  considerable  black  on  the  throat,  and  even  the 


270  D  WIGHT 

chin.  The  adult  nuptial  plumage  is,  in  extreme  examples,  hardly 
distinguishable  from  the  male,  but  usually  the  black  is  much 
restricted  and  the  chin  yellow,  merely  spotted  with  black. 


Dendroica  vigorsii  (Aud.).     PINE  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  drab,  shading  to  hair-brown.  Wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown  the  sec- 
ondaries and  rectrices  with  greenish  gray  edgings,  the  tertiaries  and  wing  co- 
verts edged  with  drab  ;  two  dull  white  wing  bands.  Below,  olive-gray  washed 
with  drab  on  the  throat  and  sides  and  indistinctly  mottled  with  deeper  gray. 
Orbital  ring  white.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish  buff  becoming  black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,  beginning  late  in  July,  which  involves  the  body  plumage 
and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young 
and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Entirely  different  from  the  previous  plumage.  Above  bright  olive-green  veiled 
with  drab-gray  edgings,  the  upper  tail  coverts  grayer.  Wing  coverts  black, 
edged  with  greenish  olive-gray  ;  two  white  wing  bands.  Below,  including 
superciliary  stripe  and  orbital  ring  bright  lemon-yellow,  fading  to  dull  white  on 
abdomen  and  crissum,  veiled  with  whitish  edgings,  the  flanks  washed  with  drab- 
gray,  a  few  concealed  dusky  streaks  on  the  sides  of  the  breast.  Lores  and  post- 
ocular  spot  dusky. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  ex- 
cessive, birds  becoming  greener  above   and   a   greener  yellow 
below  by  loss  of  the  edgings,  the  breast  streaks  being  also  ex- 
posed. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  in    July  and  August.     Practically  indistinguishable 
from  first  winter  dress,  but  usually  yellower,  the  streaking  more 
abundant,  the  veiling  diminished  above,  the  wings  and  tail  darker 
on  an  average  and  the  edgings  darker  and  grayer. 

6.  ADULT    NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear    as    in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male  from  which  the  female  is  first  distinguishable  in  first 
winter  plumage  which  is  much  browner  than  that  of  the  male, 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  271 

being  olive-brown  above  and  pale  wood-brown  below  with 
scarcely  a  tinge  of  yellow.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  grayer 
and  shows  much  wear.  The  adult  winter  plumage  is  much  yel- 
lower than  the  first  winter,  and  resembles  the  male  first  winter. 
The  adult  nuptial  is  the  same  as  the  previous  plumage  plus 
marked  wear. 


Dendroica  palmarum  (Gmel.).     PALM  WARBLER 

The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of  D.  p.  hypo- 
chrysca,  described  below,  a  relative  paleness  and  lack  of  yellow 
being  found  in  all  the  plumages.  If  the  limited  prenuptial  moult 
were  to  extend  over  the  whole  body  this  subspecies  could  hardly 
be  told  apart  from  hypochrysea,  the  new  feathers  being  equally 
yellow  in  both  and  the  chestnut  cap  of  the  same  tint. 

Dendroica  palmarum  hypochrysea  (Ridgw.).     YELLOW  x 
PALM  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dull  sepia-brown,  streaked  with  clove-brown.  Wings  and  tail  clove-brown, 
edged  chiefly  with  dull  olive-green,  the  coverts  and  tertiaries  with  drab  cin- 
namon-tinged ;  the  outer  two  rectrices  with  terminal  white  blotches  on  the 
inner  webs ;  no  definite  wing  bands.  Below,  including  sides  of  head,  dull 
white  with  dusky  spots  and  streaks  ;  chin  and  crissum  faintly  tinged  with 
yellow.  Orbital  ring  dull  white  ;  transocular  streak  dusky.  Bill  and  feet 
pinkish  buff,  the  feet  darker  and  blacker  than  the  bill  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  in  August  in  eastern  Canada,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings 
nor  the  tail. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  yellowish  sepia-brown,  yellowish  olive-green 
on  the  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts,  obscurely  streaked  with  dull  clove-brown, 
the  crown  merely  tinged  with  concealed  chestnut.  Wing  coverts  clove- brown 
edged  with  olive-green  and  tipped  with  cinnamon  not  forming  wing  bands. 
Below,  canary-yellow  brightest  on  the  crissum,  obscurely  streaked  on  throat 
and  sides  with  dusky  chestnut  everywhere  veiled  by  overlapping  whitish  edg- 
ings. Superciliary  line  canary-yellow,  orbital  ring  buffy  white  ;  transocular 
streak  dusky. 


272  DWIGHT 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  crown,  sides  of  head,  chin  and 
throat  and  not  the  rest  of  the  plumage.     It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  a  very  few  new  feathers   are  acquired  on   nearly  all  of  the 
tracts  except  the  alar.     If  they  were  in  color  contrast  the  effect 
would  be  not  unlike  Piranga  rnbra  or  Icterus  spurius,     A  rich 
chestnut  cap  is    assumed,  contrasting    sharply   with  the   worn 
feathers  of  the  occiput,  the  lores  become  dull  black,  the  auricu- 
lars  chestnut   and   the  yellow  of  the  chin  and  breast  becomes 
brighter  with  rich  chestnut  streaks  on  the  sides  of  the  throat 
and  breast.     The  streaking  of  the  sides  of  the  chin  and  across 
the  jugulum  are  darker.      Elsewhere  a  few  stray  feathers  are 
acquired,  as  shown  by  a  large  series  in  actual   moult,  but  most 
of  the  plumage  of  the  posterior  parts  of  the  body  shows  a  great 
amount  of  wear,  as  might  be  expected  in  a  species  of  terrestrial 
habits.     I  have  seen  birds  in  moult  in  December  and  January, 
from  Jamaica,  W.   I.,  and  I  have  taken  similar  birds  in  Florida 
and  Georgia  in  March  and  April  and  near  New  York  city  late  in 
April. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult   in  August.      Differs   little   from   the  first  winter 
dress,  but  of  a  richer  brown  above  with  darker  wing  edgings,  the 
chestnut  more  abundant  on  the  crown  and  the  streakings  below 
more  conspicuous. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  as  in  the  young  bird.  , 

Female. — The  sexes  are  very  similar  in  all  plumages,  females 
usually  a  little  browner  and  with  less  yellow.  In  first  winter 
plumage  with  very  little  or  no  chestnut  on  the  crown  and  later 
practically  indistinguishable,  but  undergoing  the  same  moults  as 
the  male,  the  prenuptial  more  limited. 


Dendroica  discolor  (Vieill.).     PRAIRIE   WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.      No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  273 

Above,  dull  olive-green,  browner  on  the  pileum.  Wings  and  tail  clove-brown 
edged  with  dull  olive-green  ;  two  wing  bands  buff.  Below,  dull  brownish 
white,  pale  straw-color  on  the  abdomen.  Sides  of  head  drab  ;  eyelids  white. 
Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,   beginning  the  middle  of  July,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Unlike,  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  grayish  olive-green,  an  area  of  concealed 
chestnut  on  the  back.  Wing  coverts  black,  edged  with  olive-green  ;  two  wing 
bands  white.  Below,  pale  canary-yellow,  streaked  on  the  sides  of  the  throat 
and  breast  with  dull  black  veiled  by  yellowish  edgings.  Malar  stripe  and 
transocular  streak  grayish  black  ;  orbital  ring,  suborbital  region  and  obscure 
superciliary  stripe  white,  yellow  tinged  ;  auriculars  mouse-gray. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  crown,  sides  of  head,  chin  and 
throat  but  not  the  rest  of  the  body  plumage  the  wings  nor  the 
tail  as  shown  by  specimens  taken  in  Jamaica,  W.  I.,  November 
2/th,  December  3Oth,  January  3d,  I3th,  iQth,  24th  and  3ist. 
The  early  date  at  which  the  prenuptial  moult  takes  place  is  in- 
teresting and  explains  in  a  measure  why  it  is  so  difficult  to  de- 
termine   by  examination  of  the  feathers  whether  a  moult    has 
taken  place.     The  few  feathers  replaced  suffer  from  wear  almost 
as  much  as  those   adjacent  and  when  we  first   see  such  birds  in 
May  the  evidences  of  moult  are  often  completely  masked.     The 
black  auriculars  and  transocular  stripe  and  the  yellow  feathers 
of  the  superciliary  stripe,  the  chin  and  throat  are  assumed,  wear 
bringing  the  chestnut  of  the  back  into  prominence.      Young  and 
old  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.     Similar  to   first  winter  dress,  but  with 
more  chestnut  on  the  back  and  the  streaks  below  broader  and 
extending  to  the   chin.     The  transocular  stripe  and  auriculars 
are  darker ;  the  orbital  region  and  superciliary  line  yellower. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird.    Several  specimens  taken 
in  Florida  in  March  and  early  April   show  pin  feathers  on  the 
head  and  throat.     These  birds,  judging  by  the  amount  of  chest- 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Oct.  18,  1900—18. 


274  DWIGHT 

nut  on  the  back  and  the  streaks  on  the  sides  of  the  throat,  ap- 
pear to  be  adults. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  Indistinguishable  from  the  male  until  the  first  winter 
plumage  is  assumed,  which  is  browner  above  and  paler  below 
with  fainter  streaking ;  the  auriculars  and  transocular  streak 
being  grayer,  the  chestnut  on  the  back  a  mere  trace  ;  the  wings 
and  tail  are  duller.  The  first  nuptial  plumage,  acquired  by  re- 
newal of  a  few  feathers  about  the  head  and  by  abrasion  of  the 
rest  .of  the  plumage  with  fading,  differs  very  little  from  the  first 
winter.  The  adult  winter  plumage  is  similar  to  the  first  winter, 
but  yellower  about  the  head,  more  distinctly  and  broadly  streaked 
below,  and  with  more  chestnut  on  the  back  ;  very  like  the 
male  first  winter.  The  adult  nuptial  plumage,  acquired  partly 
by  moult,  resembles  the  male  adult  nuptial,  differing  in  paler 
yellow,  less  extensive  streaking,  fainter  chestnut  of  the  back  and 
grayish  instead  of  black  lores  and  malar  stripes. 

Seiurus  aurocapillus  (Linn.).     OVEN-BIRD 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  cinnamon-brown,  sparingly  spotted  with  olive-brown, 
the  dusky  lateral  stripes  faintly  indicated  on  the  crown.  Wings  and  tail  olive- 
brown  with  olive-green  edgings,  the  coverts  slightly  tipped  with  pale  cinnamon. 
Below,  pale  cinnamon,  yellowish  white  on  abdomen  and  crissum,  faintly  spotted 
or  streaked  on  the  sides  of  the  chin,  on  the  breast  and  on  the  sides  with  olive- 
brown.  Bill  and  feet  pale  pinkish  buff  becoming  very  little  darker  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  end  of  June,  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age, the  wing  coverts,  and  rarely  the  tertiaries,  but  not  the  rest 
of  the  wings  nor  the  tail.     Young  and  old  become  practically  in- 
distinguishable. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  brownish  olive-green  including  wing  coverts 
and  tertiaries  ;  the  crown  dull  orange-ochraceous  concealed  by  brownish  edgings 
and  bordered  by  two  black  stripes  extended  on  the  nape.  Below,  pure  white 
sometimes  washed  faintly  with  pale  buff  or  olive-gray  especially  on  the  sides 
and  flanks,  the  chin,  abdomen  and  crissum  sometimes  faintly  yellow  tinged, 
streaked  boldly  on  the  throat,  breast  and  sides  with,  black  slightly  veiled  by 
whitish  edgings.  A  black  submalar  streak  on  either  side  of  the  chin.  Con- 
spicuous orbital  ring,  buffy  white  ;  lores  grayish  ;  auriculars  obscurely  dusky. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  275 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  con- 
siderable but  produces  little  effect  except  to  expose  the  crown 
and  bring  the  black  streaks  below  into  contrast  with  the  white 
background.     It  may  be  that  there  is  a  limited  prenuptial  moult, 
but  the  new  feathers  occasionally  found  on  April  specimens  are 
probably  individual  renewal  scarcely  deserving  the  name  of  a 
moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  in  July.     Differs  inappreciably  from  first  winter,  the 
streaking  below  perhaps  averaging  blacker  and  the   orange  of 
the  crown  deeper. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  as   in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable,  the 
female  in  first  winter  plumage  usually  with  a  paler  median 
crown  stripe. 


Seiurus  noveboracensis  (Gmel).     WATER-THRUSH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Deep  olive-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  deep  olive-brown  with  cinnamon  edgings.  Wings  and  tail  darker,  the  co- 
verts tipped  with  pale  cinnamon.  Below,  primrose-yellow  heavily  streaked  on 
the  chin  and  less  heavily  on  the  throat,  breast  and  sides  with  deep  olive  or 
clove-brown.  Indistinct  superciliary  line  and  orbital  ring  buff;  transocular 
stripe  dusky.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  July,  in  eastern  Canada,  which  involves 
the  body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail.     Young  and  old  become  practically  indistin- 
guishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage.  Above,  yellowish  olive-brown  including  wing  coverts, 
without  edgings.  Below,  straw-yellow  palest  on  the  crissum,  the  flanks  washed 
with  olive-brown,  spotted  on  the  chin  and  streaked,  except  on  the  mid-abdomen 
and  crissum,  with  black  veiled  by  overlapping  whitish  edgings.  Superciliary 
stripe  and  orbital  ring  pale  ochraceous  buff;  transocular  streak  deep  olive- 
brown  ;  auriculars  dusky. 


276  D\VIGHT 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  marked  wear,  birds 
becoming  browner  above  and  paler  below,  the  veiling  lost.      It  is 
possible  there  is  a  very  limited  growth  of  new  feathers  about  the 
head,  for  the  wear  is   disproportionately  slight  in  some    May 
specimens  when  we  consider  the  terrestrial  habits  of  the  species, 
but  the  renewal  hardly  seems  to  deserve  the  name  of  a  moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Practically  indistinguishable  from   first 
winter,  the  streakings  below  rather  broader,  the  wings  and  tail 
deeper  in  color. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE    acquired   by  wear    as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  correspond. 

Seiurus  noveboracensis  notabilis  (Ridgw.).     GRINNELL'S 
WATER-THRUSH 

This  darker  subspecies  has  moults  and  plumages  correspond- 
ing to  those  of  S.  noveboracensis. 

Seiurus  motacilla  (Vieill.).     LOUISIANA  WATER-THRUSH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Deep  olive-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  deep  olive-brown,  without  cinnamon  edgings.  Wings  and  tail  darker,  the 
coverts  faintly  tipped  with  cinnamon.  Conspicuous  line  above  and  behind  the 
eye  dull  white.  Below,  yellowish  white,  washed  on  the  sides  and  crissum  with 
cinnamon  and  narrowly  streaked  on  the  chin,  throat,  breast  and  sides  with  dull 
olive-brown.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  July,  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  deep  olive-brown,  much  darker  on  the 
crown,  which  is  bordered  by  conspicuous  white  superciliary  stripes.  The  wing 
coverts  are  dark  and  without  edgings.  Below,  white,  buffy  tinged  and  strongly 
washed  on  sides  of  the  throat,  flanks  and  on  crissum  with  ochraceous  buff. 
The  chin  is  faintly  flecked,  the  breast  and  sides  streaked  with  olive-brown. 
Lower  eyelid  white  ;  anteorbital  spot  and  postocular  streak  dusky. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  277 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    marked    wear 
through  which  the  buff  tints  are  largely  lost,  the  flecks  of  the  chin 
and  the  breast  streaks  diminished.     Although  specimens  from 
Jamaica,  W.  I.,  in  December,  and  from  Florida  in  March,  show 
a  few  new  feathers  on  the  chin,  I  doubt  whether  this  is  more 
than  mere  renewal  in  a  species  subjected  to  much  wear.     It 
is  difficult  to  draw  the  line  between  moult  and  renewal  except 
by  the  study  of  larger  series  of  winter  birds  than  are  now  avail- 
able. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial   moult  in  July.      Practically  indistinguishable   from  the 
first  winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE   acquired    by  wear  which  is 
marked. 

Female. — The   sexes    are    indistinguishable   and    the    moults 
identical. 


Geothlypis  formosa  (Wils.).     KENTUCKY  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  rich  olive-brown.  Wings  and  tail  rather  darker, 
edged  with  deep  olive-green,  the  wing  coverts  with  wood-brown.  Below,  pale 
raw  umber-brown,  Naples-yellow  on  the  abdomen  and  crissum.  Bill  and  feet 
flesh-color,  the  former  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  July  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  the  wing 
coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage.  Above,  olive-green  including  the  wing  coverts. 
Below,  including  superciliary  stripe,  bright  canary-yellow.  The  forehead, 
crown,  lores  and  auriculars  are  partly  black  much  veiled  by  smoke-gray  edg- 
ings. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves   a  part  of  the  head,  chin  and  throat,  but 
no  other  areas.     The  black  crown  with  plumbeous  edgings,  the 
black  lores,  auriculars  and  a  short  extension  on  the  sides  of  the 
neck  are  assumed,  together  with  the  yellow  feathers  of  the  chin 


278  DWIGHT 

and  superciliary  stripes.      Young  and  old  become  indistinguish- 
able. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  in  July.      Differs  from  first  winter  in  the  crown  being 
grayer,   the  black  areas  more   defined   and   the   edgings   clear 
plumbeous  gray,  veiling  the  black  much  less. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE   acquired  apparently  by  a  par- 
tial prenuptial  moult,  as  in  the  young  bird,  although  wear  alone 
may  modify  the  winter  plumage  after  the   first  year.     The  ma- 
terial I  have  examined  is  not  conclusive  upon  this  point. 

Female. — In  first  winter  and  later  plumages  the  female  differs 
chiefly  from  the  male  in  the  black  markings  being  duller  and  re- 
stricted. 


Geothlypis  agilis  (Wils.).     CONNECTICUT  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult 
in  all  probability.     Birds  in  this  plumage  have  never  been  ob- 
tained, so  far  as  I  know,  supposed  ones  proving  to  be  something 
else.     We  may  expect  a  bird  most  resembling  G.  Philadelphia, 
uniformly  brownish  above  and  yellowish  below,  the  throat  and 
chin  perhaps  as  dark  as  the  back,  and  no  streaks. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  which  apparently  involves  the  body  plumage  and  the  wing 
coverts  and  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  including  wings  and  tail,  brownish  olive-green  almost  exactly  like  G.  trichas, 
but  usually  greener  and  grayer.  Below,  unlike  G.  trichas,  being  canary-yel- 
low, washed  on  the  sides  with  pale  olive-brown,  and  with  broccoli-brown  on 
the  throat  often  concealing  cinereous  gray,  the  chin  wood-brown.  The  orbital 
ring  conspicuously  pale  buff. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  involving  much  of  the  head  and  throat,  which  become 
clear  plumbeous  or  ashy  gray  instead  of  brown,  slightly  veiled 
with  olive-brown  on  the  pileum  and  with  drab-gray  on  the  throat, 
the  orbital  ring  white. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  279 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.      Differs  from  first  winter  dress  in  being  cinereous 
gray  instead  of  brown  on  the  head  and  throat,  palest  on  the 
chin,   and    slightly  veiled  with   drab-gray   on    the    throat,  and 
olive-green  on  the  crown.     The  back  is  greener  and  the  yellow 
below  rather  brighter.     The  orbital   ring  is   white.     The  birds 
with  deeper  plumbeous  throats  are  probably  still  older.     This 
dress   differs   but  little  from   the  nuptial,  a  fact  not   generally 
known. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  perhaps  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird  or  possibly  by  wear  alone. 
Some  specimens  taken  in  spring  show  fresher  feathers  about  the 
head  than  do  others.     Whether  this  denotes  individual  wear  or 
only  renewal  in  young  birds,  cannot  be  determined  positively 
without  more  winter  material. 

Female. — In  first  winter  plumage  browner  above  and  on  the 
throat  than  the  male,  but  often  indistinguishable.  The  first  nup- 
tial is  acquired  chiefly  by  wear.  The  adult  winter  is  similar  to 
the  first  winter  but  rather  grayer  on  the  throat  resembling  the 
male  in  first  winter  dress.  The  adult  nuptial  and  later  plum- 
ages are  never  as  gray  as  those  of  the  male. 

Geothlypis  Philadelphia  (Wils.).     MOURNING  WARBLED 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Very  similar  to  G.  trichas  but  darker.  Above  deep  olive-brown.  Wings  darker, 
edged  with  olive-green,  the  coverts  faintly  edged  with  pale  cinnamon.  Tail 
deep  olive-green.  Below,  very  deep  grayish  tawny-olive,  abdomen  and  crissum 
pale  brownish  Naples-yellow.  Inconspicuous  orbital  ring  pale  buff.  Bill  and 
feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  sepia-brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  in  August  in  eastern  Canada,  which   involves  the  body 
plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the   rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Above  similar  to  G.  trichas  and  to  G.  agilis  but  greener  than  either,  with  a  plumbe- 
ous tinge  about  the  head,  and  the  yellow  below  brighter.  There  is  usually  a 
little  concealed  black  on  the  throat ;  the  chin  is  yellowish  white.  The  con- 


280  DWIGHT 

spicuous  orbital  ring  and  a  supraloral  line  are  pale  canary-yellow,  the  lores 
dusky. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  head  and  throat.    The  plumbe- 
ous cap,  the  black  throat  veiled  with  cinereous,  the  dusky  lores 
and  the  white  orbital  rings  are  assumed,  the  rest  of  the  plumage 
showing  a  good  deal  of  wear.     Old  feathers   may  be  found  in 
some  cases  persisting  among  the  new. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August.     Similar  to  first  winter  dress,  but  with 
a  distinctly  black  chin   and  throat,  much  veiled  with  cinereous 
gray  edgings. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult,  as  in  the  young  bird.     An  undated  specimen  from  Pan- 
ama (Am.  Mus.,  No.  39878),  apparently  an  adult,  judging  by 
old  feathers,  shows  new  growth  on  the  head  and  throat. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  In  first  winter  plumage  the  throat  is  browner  and  in 
but  slight  contrast  to  the  breast,  scarcely  distinguishable  from 
the  male  first  winter  dress  of  G.  agilis.  The  first  nuptial  plum- 
age is  acquired  chiefly  by  wear.  The  adult  winter  plumage  re- 
sembles the  somewhat  grayer  first  winter  male.  The  later 
plumages  are  similar,  no  black  being  assumed  on  the  throat. 

Geothlypis  trichas  (Linn.).     MARYLAND  YELLOW-THROAT 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  pale  olive-brown  of  variable  depth,  greenish  on  the  upper  tail  coverts. 
Wings  olive-brown  edged  with  olive-green,  the  median  and  greater  coverts 
faintly  tipped  with  cinnamon.  Tail  bright  olive-green.  Below,  tawny  wood- 
brown,  Naples-yellow  on  the  abdomen  and  olive-yellow  on  the  crissum.  In- 
conspicuous orbital  ring  pale  buff.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  deep 
sepia  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,  beginning  about  the  middle  of  July,  which  involves  the 
body  plumage  and  the  wing   coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  281 

Unlike  previous  plumage.  Above,  deep  olive-brown,  greener  on  the  upper  tail 
coverts,  the  crown  and  forehead  tinged  with  Mars-brown,  the  forehead  fre- 
quently with  a  very  few  feathers  black  basally.  The  wing  coverts  chiefly  olive- 
green.  Below,  bright  lemon  on  the  chin,  throat  and  crissum,  pale  straw- 
yellow  on  the  abdomen,  the  flanks  washed  with  olive-brown,  and  a  very  faint 
buffy  pectoral  band.  The  malar  and  auricular  regions  show  traces  of  the  black 
"  mask  "  varying  from  a  few  black  feathers  to  a  considerable  area  always  veiled 
by  ashy  edgings.  The  black  seldom  invades  the  lores  and  forehead  and  never 
the  orbital  ring  as  in  the  adult.  The  orbital  ring  is  buffy  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  forehead,  crown,  sides  of  head 
and  chin  and  not   the   rest  of  the  plumage.      These  areas  are 
somewhat  worn,  as  a  rule,  when  the  birds   reach   New  York  in 
May,  but  specimens  from  Jamaica,  West  Indies,  taken  Decem- 
ber  2d,  January   Qth,  22d  and   24th  and   February  4th  show 
actual  moult  in  progress.      It  is  not  surprising  that  the  feathers 
assumed    then    should   show   considerable   wear   before    May. 
The  black  feathers  of  the  "mask  "  are  acquired,  those  of  the 
upper  margin  of  this  area  broadly  tipped  with  pearl-gray  which 
becomes  ashy  with  wear.     This  gray  band,  posteriorly  on  the 
crown,  has  its  feathers  tipped  with  Mars-brown  and  the  basal 
black  gradually  diminishes  more  posteriorly  as  the  extent  of 
brown  on  each  feather  increases.     There  is  a  yellow  tinge  in 
some  of  the  feathers.     The  width  of  the  band  varies  greatly. 
The  bright  yellow  chin  is  also  acquired  and  young  birds,  and 
old  become  indistinguishable. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July  and  August.     Differs  from  the  first  winter 
dress  in  possessing  a  complete  black  "  mask,"  which  includes 
the  forehead,  lores,  orbital   ring   and  auriculars,  only  the  fore- 
head and   the  auriculars  being  slightly  veiled.     The  "mask" 
has  a  distinct  cinereous  posterior  border  veiled  on   the  crown 
with  Vandyke-brown.      The  yellow  below   is  deeper  and  the 
brown  wash  on  the  flanks  darker  in  most  cases.     Six  specimens 
out  of  twenty -two  in  this  plumage  show  a  few  white  feathers  in 
the  orbital  ring  usually  confined  to  the  lower  eyelid,  and  three 
out  of  twenty-three  spring  males  show  the  same    peculiarity 
which  seems  to  be  purely  individual  peculiar  possibly  to  the 
younger  birds. 


282  DWIGHT 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  apparently  acquired  by  wear, 
although  I  think  there  must  be  a  limited  prenuptial  moult  if  it 
deserves  the  name.  I  have  examined  specimens  of  this  species 
taken  every  month  in  the  year,  but  I  have  seen  only  a  few  young 
birds  showing  actual  moult  in  February,  March  and  April.  The 
adult  nuptial  and  winter  plumages  are  so  extremely  similar  that 
wear  alone  might  convert  the  latter  into  the  former,  but  even 
with  the  large  series  I  have  examined  positive  conclusions  are 
not  possible. 

Female, — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  sexes  are  alike.  In  first 
winter  plumage  the  female  is  much  browner,  the  yellow  of  the 
lower  surface  is  wholly  replaced  by  buff,  and  there  is  no  black 
about  the  head.  The  first  nuptial  dress  is  assumed  by  a  limited 
prenuptial  moult  (sometimes  suppressed)  illustrated  by  a  speci- 
men of  February  4th.  Later  plumages  differ  little,  except  in 
yellowness,  from  the  first  winter  dress  and  no  black  is  ever  as- 
sumed about  the  head. 


Icteria  virens  (Linn.).     YELLOW-BREASTED  CHAT 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  grayish  olive-brown.  Wings  and  tail  olive-brown,  edged  with  dull  brownish 
olive-green.  Below,  ashy  gray  washed  with  olive-gray  across  the  jugulum  and 
on  the  sides.  Auriculars  grayish  and  lores  dusky  with  a  trace  of  white  above 
the  eye.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  brown,  the  former  becoming  slaty  and  the 
latter  black. 

This  plumage  has  been  figured  in  colors  (Auk,  XVI,  1899, 
pp.  217-220,  pi.  III). 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired    by  a  complete  post- 
juvenal  moult  after  the  middle  of  July.     Two  specimens  exam- 
ined show  a  complete   moult  in   progress   and  the  color  and 
shape  of  rectrices  in  the  limited  material  at  my  disposal  points 
to  this  unusual  moult,  for  this  is  the  only  Warbler  known  to  me 
that  renews  wings  and  tail  at  this  time. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  283 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  brownish  olive-green,  the  wings  and  tail 
darker  than  in  Juvenal  plumage  and  with  greener  edgings.  Below,  bright 
lemon-yellow,  somewhat  veiled  with  olive-gray,  the  abdomen  and  crissum  dull 
white,  the  sides  washed  with  olive-brown.  Lores,  suborbital  region  and  post- 
ocular  stripe  dull  black,  veiled  with  ashy  feather  tips.  Superciliary,  suborbital 
and  malar  stripes  white. 

Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable  although 
young  birds  are  rather  duller. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    wear    which    is 
marked,   but   produces   little   obvious    effect,   the   browns   and 
greens  fading  somewhat,  the  yellow  very  little. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Practically  indistinguishable  from '"first 
winter  dress,  the  black  areas  about  the  head  averaging  blacker. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired   by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — Differs  very  little  from  the  male  and  has  the  same 
moults.  In  first  winter  plumage  the  lores  are  merely  dusky 
and  the  yellow  below  is  paler,  these  differences  usually  persist- 
ing in  later  plumages. 

Sylvania  mitrata  (GmeL).    HOODED  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.      Pale  sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  pale  yellowish  wood-brown,  edged  with  Mars-brown,  drab  when  older. 
Wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown,  edged  with  olive-green,  brightest  on  the  sec- 
ondaries and  tertiaries,  the  wing  coverts  edged  with  pale  wood-brown,  often 
darker.  Below,  primrose-yellow,  washed  with  wood-brown  on  the  throat,  breast 
and  sides.  The  three  outer  rectrices  largely  white  on  their  inner  webs.  Bill 
and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  the  end  of  June  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age and  the  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail.      Young  and  old  become  practically  indistinguishable. 

The  crown  occiput,  sides  of  neck,  whole  throat  and  part  of  the  chin  are  jet-black 
veiled  with  narrow  edgings  of  lemon-yellow  most  marked  on  the  throat.  The 
rest  of  the  upper  surface  and  the  sides  are  bright  olive-green  ;  the  forehead, 
sides  of  head,  anterior  part  of  chin  breast,  abdomen  and  crissum  are  rich 
lemon  yellow  ;  the  forehead  partly  veiled  with  olive-green  or  dusky  tips,  the 
lores  with  black  ones. 


284:  DWIGHT 

The  replacement  of  the  Juvenal  plumage  of  this  species  has 
been  minutely  traced  by  PALMER,  '94,  and  his  conclusions  are 
supported  by  the  material  I  have  at  hand.  Like  many  other 
species  popularly  supposed  to  require  several  years  for  the  at- 
tainment of  adult  plumage,  the  male  Hooded  Warbler  within 
a  few  weeks  assumes  a  dress  differing  very  little  from  the  adult. 
Any  specimens  with  partly  black  "  hoods  "  labelled  in  collections 
as  males  have  been  incorrectly  sexed.  It  seems  to  me  the  yel- 
low deepens  as  the  layers  of  growing  feathers  are  superimposed 
rather  than  there  being  an  actual  deepening  of  color  in  the  later 
bred  birds  as  suggested  by  Mr.  Palmer. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  is  not 
very  obvious,  the  black  areas   losing  the  veiling  yellow  tips. 
The  olive-green  above   becomes    grayer  and  wear  brings   into 
prominence  a  slight  grayish  collar  bordering  the  black  "hood." 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult  the  last  cf  June   and   in  July.      In  some   cases 
scarcely  distinguishable   from  the   first  winter  but  usually  the 
yellow  edgings  are  absent  or  very  obscure.     The  black  occu- 
pies the  whole  chin  up  to   its   apex  and   the  yellow  below  is 
richer. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE   acquired    by  wear   as   in  the 
young  bird,  from  which  it  is   usually  indistinguishable.     The 
black  feathers  of  the  adult  winter  plumage  are  more  resistant  to 
wear  than  the  yellow-tipped  ones  of  the  first  winter,  the  barbs 
of  which  will  be  found  broken  off  near  the  black  basal  portion. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  from  which  indistinguishable  until  the  first  winter 
plumage  is  assumed.  This  lacks  the  black  of  the  male  and  is 
uniform  olive-green  above  and  lemon-yellow  below,  occasion- 
ally one  or  two  black  feathers  being  assumed  on  the  crown. 
The  first  nuptial  plumage  acquired  by  wear  is,  of  course,  plain 
olive-green  and  yellow.  The  adult  winter  plumage  assumed  by 
a  complete  moult  shows  a  variable  amount  of  black  about  the 
head  and  throat.  How  much  of  the  black  is  due  to  individual 
vigor  and  how  much  to  successive  postnuptial  moults  is  a  ques- 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  285 

tion  not  easily  answerable.  We  know  that  some  females  in 
the  breeding  season  are  almost  indistinguishable  from  males, 
and  there  are  all  sorts  of  intermediates  from  these  mature  birds 
down  to  those  of  the  worn  first  winter  dress,  which  are  guiltless 
of  black. 

Sylvania  pusilla  (Wils.).     WILSON'S  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  sepia  or  hair-brown  mottled  with  sepia.     Wings  and  tail  dull  olive-brown 

edged  with  olive-green  ;  wing  coverts  paler  and  indistinctly  edged  with  buff. 

Below,  primrose -yellow  washed  with  pale  wood-brown  on  the  throat  and  sides. 

Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 
Resembles  S.  mitrata  but  darker  above  and  on  the   throat,  with  paler  abdomen  ; 

also  S.  canadensis  but  with  darker,  greener  edged  wings  and    tail ;  and  easily 

mistaken  for  6*.  tri  has  but  less  tinged  with  brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  July  in  eastern  Canada,  which  involves 
the  body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  including  wing  coverts,  bright  olive-green 
the  pileum  black,  veiled  more  or  less  with  brownish  olive-green  feather  tips. 
Below,  including  sides  of  head  and  forehead,  lemon-yellow,  brightest  on  the 
superciliary  line  and  orbital  ring. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  head,  chin  and  throat.     The 
clear  black  cap,  sometimes  with  a  few  greenish  edgings  pos- 
teriorly, is  assumed,  the  structure  of  the  feathers  differing  from 
those  of  the  previous  plumage,  and   some  yellow  feathers  are 
renewed  on  the  throat.     The  yellow  below  is   resistant  to  fad- 
ing, the  back  becoming  grayer.      Young  and  old  become  indis- 
tinguishable.     Several   specimens   from  Jalapa,    Mexico  (Am. 
Mus.,    Nos.   68553   and   68554),  taken   in    March,    show   pin- 
feathers  on  chin  and  crown. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Similar  to  the  first  winter,  but  the  cap 
clear  black,    sometimes  slightly  veiled  posteriorly,  the  yellow 
below  perhaps  averaging  deeper. 


286  DWIGIIT 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  perhaps  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  or  perhaps  by  wear  alone.  The  wear  of  the 
black  feathers  of  the  crown  cannot  be  safely  estimated,  and  I 
have  seen  no  birds  while  in  the  moult  which  at  best  is  limited. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  The  sexes  alike  in  juvenal  plumage.  In  first  winter 
plumage  the  cap  is  wholly  lacking  or  sometimes  suggested  by 
a  few  black  feathers  laterally.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  ac- 
quired by  a  limited  prenuptial  moult,  the  crown  becoming 
partly  black,  concealed  by  greenish  edgings.  The  adult  winter 
plumage  is  much  like  the  male  first  winter.  The  adult  nuptial 
plumage  differs  little  from  the  adult  male  nuptial.  A  March 
bird  from  Mexico  (Am.  Mus.,  No.  68568),  in  moult,  is  apparently 
an  adult. 


Sylvania  canadensis  (Linn.).     CANADIAN  WARBLER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  sep'a  and,  when  older  and  faded,  hair-brown.  Wings  and  tail  dull  olive- 
brown,  faintly  edged  with  dull  olive-green  ;  wing  coverts  paler  and  indistinctly 
edged  with  buff.  Below,  primrose-yellow  washed  with  pale  wood-brown  on 
the  throat  and  sides.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish-buff  becoming  dusky.  Practically 
indistinguishable  from  S.  pusilla  except  by  duller  wing  edgings. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  July  in  eastern  Canada,  which  involves 
the  body  plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  cinereous  gray,  browner  on  the  back,  the  crown  yellow-tinged  and  sometimes 
flecked  with  black  ;  wing  coverts  uniform  with  the  back.  Below,  including 
supraloral  line  lemon-yellow,  the  orbital  ring  paler,  a  narrov/  ''necklace"  of 
small  black  spots  on  the  jugulum  the  black  extending  to  the  auriculars  and 
lores,  slightly  veiled  by  overlapping  yellow  edges  ;  the  crissum  dull  white. 

The  black  is  very  dull  and  much  less  extensive  than  in  the 
adult,  some  specimens  hardly  distinguishable  from  females. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  chiefly  the  head,  chin  and  throat,  and  not 
the  rest  of  the  plumage.    New  black,  ashy  edged  crown  feathers 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  287 

are  assumed  contrasting  with  the  worn  occipital  ones,  while  the 
yellow  or  black  ones  assumed  elsewhere  are  less  obviously 
fresh.  Wear  is  soon. quite  marked,  the  upper  parts  becoming 
grayer. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  in  July.      Quite  different   from   first  winter  dress,  the 
black  "  necklace  "  being  of  heavy  streaks  and  the  black  area  on 
the  lores  and  crown  larger  ;  black  feathers  with  broad  grayish 
edgings  are  assumed  on  the  crown,  and  the  wing  edgings  are 
apt  to  be  grayer  and  bluish  instead  of  greenish. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  wear, 
although   it  is  likely  there   is  some  new  growth.     It  seems  to 
me  the  edgings  of  the  crown  feathers  of  the  most  worn  spring 
specimens  are  grayer  and  longer  than  could  result  from  wear, 
which  is  considerable  in  this  species.     Winter  material  is  needed 
to  be  sure  which  condition  regularly  prevails. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male  from  which  the  female  is  first  distinguishable  in  first 
winter  dress.  This  is  a  little  paler  than  that  of  the  male  with- 
out black  on  the  crown  which  is  brownish  in  contrast  to  the 
back  and  the  4<  necklace"  consists  of  obscure  grayish  lines, 
The  first  nuptial  plumage,  acquired  by  a  very  limited  moult,  dif- 
fers very  little  from  the  previous  plumage  which  is  modified  by 
wear.  The  adult  winter  plumage  differs  slightly  if  any  from  the 
first  winter  ;  it  has  a  bluer  gray  tint  on  the  back  and  the  crown  is 
yellow-tinged  rather  than  brown.  The  adult  nuptial  dress  is 
usually  marked  by  the  "necklace"  and  lores  being  more  dis- 
tinctly black  and  frequently  dusky  spotting  on  the  forehead,  but 
the  female  may  never  be  mistaken  for  the  male  except  possibly 
in  a  few  rare  cases. 

Setophaga  ruticilla  (Linn.).     AMERICAN  REDSTART 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Hair-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  the  head,  deep  sepia-brown.     Wings  and  tail  deep  olive- 
brown,  the  basal  portion  of  the  primaries,  secondaries  and  outer  rectrices  pale 


288  DWIGHT 

lemon-yellow,  the  secondaries  and  tertiaries  edged  with  dull  olive-green,  the 
coverts  with  wood-brown  paler  at  their  tips.  Below,  pale  primrose-yellow,  hair 
brown  on  the  chin,  throat  and  breast.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish  buff  darken- 
ing to  brownish  black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning  early  in  July,  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  the  pileum,  nape  and  sides  of  the  neck  mouse- 
gray,  the  back  olive-green,  often  tinged  with  brownish  orange,  the  upper  tail 
coverts  clove-brown.  The  wing  coverts  become  dull  olive-green.  Below,  dull 
white,  ashy  and  pinkish  buff  suffusing  the  chin  and  throat,  an  orange-ochraceous 
or  deep  chrome-yellow  area  on  either  side  of  the  breast,  the  color  tingeing  the 
breast  and  sides.  Orbital  ring,  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult,  which  involves  chiefly  the  head  and  throat,  where  a  few 
black  feathers  in  patches  are  acquired.      A  few  may  be  found 
scattered  sparingly  elsewhere   and   new  white  feathers   on  the 
chin  are  the  rule.     The   prenuptial    moult  is   late,  probably  in 
March  and  April,  for  growing  feathers  occur  on  birds  taken  near 
New  York  city  in  May.    Abrasion  and  fading  make  birds  paler 
above  and  whiter  below.     The  distribution  of  black  feathers  is 
not  unlike  that  of  the  new  feathers  assumed  by  Icterus  spurius, 
Piranga    rubra    and   other  less    conspicuously  colored  species 
like  Dendroica  palmamm,  but  in  this  species,  which  is  unique 
among  our  Warblers  during  the  first  breeding  season  in  wearing 
an  immature  dress  strikingly  different  from  the  adult,  the  re- 
newal is  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial   moult  in   July.     The  black    and    orange-red   dress   is 
assumed,  the  black  feathers  often  having  a  faint  buffy  edging. 
Sometimes  the  orange  basal  part  of  the  primaries  or  of  the  rec- 
trices  fails  to  develop  and  yellow,  as  in  the  first  winter,  takes  its 
place.      One  specimen  in  my  collection  has  six  secondaries  and 
the  adjacent  tertiary  of  one  wing,  and  the  rectrices  with  yellow  ; 
another  has  one  secondary  with  yellow.      Other  than  these  I 
have  seen  no  evidence  of  failure  to  attain  fully  adult  dress  at 
this  moult. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  289 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.  The  abra- 
sion of  the  black  plumage  is  in  places  so  slight  that  there  might 
be  some  replacement  by  new  feathers,  but  it  is  not  apparent. 
Fading  is  not  obvious,  except  of  the  flight  feathers. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  First  differs  in  first  winter  plumage  which  is  browner, 
the  breast  patches  merely  yellow  tinged  and  the  basal  part  of  the 
rectrices  much  paler  yellow,  this  color  usually  absent  from  the 
base  of  the  primaries  and  reduced  in  extent  on  the  secondaries. 
Some  specimens  are  much  like  males.  The  first  nuptial  plum- 
age is  acquired  by  a  very  limited,  sometimes  suppressed  pre- 
nuptial  moult.  The  adult  winter  plumage  is  scarcely  different 
from  the  first  winter,  a  little  grayer  on  the  back  and  the  yellow 
area  on  the  wings  greater.  The  adult  nuptial  plumage  is  ap- 
parently the  previous  plumage  plus  wear. 

MOTACILLID^I 

The  only  species  of  Wagtail  found  in  New  York  undergoes 
a  semiannual  moult,  the  prenuptial  being  partial.  It  is  a  bird 
which  from  its  terrestrial  habits  suffers  a  good  deal  by  wear. 

Anthus  pensilvanicus  (Lath.).     AMERICAN  PIPIT 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  hair-brown  streaked  with  black,  the  edgings  of  the  back  pale  grayish  wood- 
brown.  Wings  and  tail  clove-brown,  edged  chiefly  with  wood-brown,  Isabella- 
color  on  the  greater  coverts  and  tertiaries  ;  the  outer  pair  of  rectrices  nearly  all 
white  the  next  pair  broadly  tipped  with  it.  Below,  creamy  buff,  palest  anteriorly, 
streaked  on  the  throat  and  breast  rather  broadly  and  on  the  sides  faintly  with 
clove-brown.  Indistinct  superciliary  line  and  orbital  ring  buffy  white  ;  auricu- 
lars  wood-brown.  Bill  and  feet  clay-color  in  dried  skin  the  upper  mandible 
brownish  black. 

Description  from  an  Alaskan  bird. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  in  August  which  involves  the  body  plumage  but  not  the 
wings  nor  the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indis- 
tinguishable. 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Oct.  18,  1900 — 19. 


290  DWIGHT 

Very  similar  to  previous  plumage,  but  darker  above  with  less  obvious  streaking  and 
deeper  pinkish  buff  below,  the  streaking  heavier,  forming  a  pectoral  band  and 
extending  to  the  flanks  ;  an  immaculate  pale  buff  chin.  The  superciliary  line 
extends  behind  the  eye  as  a  whitish  band. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult,  in  April,  involving  most  of  the  body  plumage  which  has 
suffered  much  from  wear  and  become  darker  above  with  the  buff 
tints  nearly  lost  below.     The  extent  of  the  fading  is  surprising. 
The  new  plumage  is  buff  tinged  but  wear  during  the  breeding 
season  produces  a  black  and  white  streaked  bird,  the  buffs  being 
wholly  lost  through  fading. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.      Indistinguishable  from   the  first  winter  dress, 
the  wing  edgings  perhaps  darker,  and  with  less  vinaceous  tinge 
below. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  like  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  correspond. 

TEOGLODYTIDJE 

The  members  of  this  family  have  only  an  annual  moult  ex- 
cept C.  stellaris  and  C.  paliistris  which  are  exceptional  in  under- 
going a  complete  (or  nearly  so)  prenuptial  moult.  The  Juvenal 
remiges  and  rectrices  are  with  these  two  exceptions  worn  till  the 
first  postnuptial  moult.  All  the  seasonal  plumages  are  very 
much  alike. 

Mimus  polyglottos  (Linn.).     MOCKINGBIRD 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  grayish  sepia-brown,  somewhat  mottled  with  darker  brown.  Wings  and 
tail  black,  the  basal  portion  of  the  primaries,  their  coverts,  and  two  outer 
rectrices  white  ;  wing  edgings  wood-brown,  the  feathers  paler  at  tips.  Below, 
dull  white,  spotted  except  on  the  abdomen  and  crissum,  with  dull  olive-brown. 
Lores,  rictal  and  submalar  streaks  faintly  dusky.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish 
buff  becoming  black. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS    OF    NEW   YORK  291 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult  in  September,  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  the 
wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young 
and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage  lacking  the  streaking  below.  Above,  including  sides 
of  the  head  and  neck  mouse-gray  palest  on  the  head  with  faint  brownish 
edgings  on  the  back  and  rump.  Wing  coverts  with  grayish  edgings,  tipped 
with  two  dull  white  bands.  Below,  grayish  white,  pale  smoke-gray  on  the 
throat  and  sides,  the  flanks  and  crissum  tinged  with  pale  wood-brown.  Lores 
dusky,  orbital  ring  white  above  and  below. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  makes 
the  plumage  grayer  above  and  dingy  white  below,  late  in  the 
season. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  September.      Practically  indistinguishable  from 
first  winter  dress,  the  primary  coverts  usually  whiter  and  colors 
elsewhere  clearer  and  deeper. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear  as   in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable,  and  the 
moults  correspond. 

Galeoscoptes  carolinensis  (Linn.).     CATBIRD 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  deep  brownish  mouse-gray,  a  little  darker  on  the  pileum.  Wings  and  tail 
nearly  black,  the  primaries  and  secondaries  edged  with  smoke-gray,  the  coverts 
browner  edged;  the  tail  with  "watered"  barring  very  indistinct.  Below, 
pale  mouse-gray  indistinctly  mottled  with  clove-brown,  the  throat  and  sides 
faintly  tinged  with  sepia,  the  crissum  faintly  Mars-brown.  Bill  and  feet  dusky 
pinkish  buff  becoming  black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning   early   in   August,  which   involves    the   body* 
plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage  but  much  grayer  and  no  mottling.  Everywhere 
clear  slate-gray,  much  paler  below  and  on  the  sides  of  the  head  and  neck ;  the 
pileum  black ;  the  crissum  deep  chestnut. 


292  DWIGHT 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  pro- 
duces little  obvious  change. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult   in   August.      Practically  indistinguishable   from 
the  first  winter  ;  the  wings  and  tail  perhaps  averaging  blacker 
and  with  grayer  edgings. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE   acquired   by  wear   as  in   the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable,  although 
the  females  are  often  duller  and  with  browner  pileum,  wings  and 
tail. 


Harporhynchus  rufus  (Linn.).     BROWN  THRASHER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  cinnamon-brown  mottled  or  streaked  with  dull  clove-brown.  Wings  and 
tail  deep  cinnamon-rufous  or  russet;  the  tail  with  "watered"  barring;  the 
wing  edgings  richer  rufous  ;  coverts  dusky  terminally  and  tipped  with  pale 
buff  forming  two  wing  bands  ;  the  tertiaries  narrowly  edged  with  pale  buff ; 
the  alulae  with  white.  Below,  dull  white,  a  buffy  wash  on  the  throat,  sides 
and  crissum,  streaked  broadly  except  on  the  chin  and  mid-abdomen  with  dull 
black.  Bill  and  feet  dull  pinkish  buff,  the  former  becoming  slaty,  the  latter 
dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,  beginning  towards  the  end  of  July,  which  involves  the 
body  plumage,  usually  most  of  the  wing  coverts  and  not  the 
rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practi- 
cally indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  unstreaked  above      Above,  rich  deep  cinnamon- 
rufous  ;   white  below,  streaked  with  black  and  washed  on  throat,  sides  and 
i         crissum  with  ochraceous  buff;    the  wing  coverts  cinnamon-rufous,  the  wing. 
bands  buffy  white. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by   wear    which    is 
marked,  although,  until  late  in  the  season,  the  colors  fade  little 
except  the  buff  below,  the  streakings  coming  out  clear  on  a 
white  ground. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  293 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July  and  August.     Practically  indistinguishable 
from  first  winter,  the  colors  averaging  darker,  noticeable  in  the 
edgings  of  the  tips  of  the  tertiaries  and  in  the  wings  and  tail. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE   acquired    by  wear  as    in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable,  and  the 
moults  correspond. 

Thryothorus  ludovicianus  (Lath.).     CAROLINA  WREN 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  wings  and  tail,  deep  russet  or  cinnamon -rufous,  the  crown  darker, 
owing  to  faint  dusky  tips,  the  feathers  whitish  along  their  shafts  ;  wings  and 
tail  with  narrow  dusky  barring,  the  coverts,  chiefly  the  lesser,  buff  tipped. 
Below,  dull  white,  washed  on  the  throat,  sides,  flanks  and  crissum  with  cinna- 
mon tinged  with  wood-brown,  the  chin,  submalar  and  auricular  regions  faintly 
flecked  or  barred  with  dull  black.  Broad  superciliary  line  dull  white  bordered 
with  dull  black  ;  postorbital  stripe  deep  russet.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff  be- 
coming dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  in   September,  which   involves  the  body  plumage,  wing 
coverts  and  tail,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings,  young  and  old 
becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage,  but  darker.  A  rich  chestnut  or  Vandyke-brown.  Above, 
the  wing  coverts  with  whitish  terminal  spots.  Below  deep  cinnamon,  except  the 
chin,  lores,  sides  of  head  and  superciliary  lines  which  are  nearly  white  ;  the 
crissum  with  decided  black  bars.  The  tail  darker  than  the  juvenal  and  barred 
more  irregularly. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  the  bird  be- 
coming rather  paler,  especially  below,  and  ragged  later. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August  and  September.      Practically  indistin- 
guishable from  first  winter. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as   in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable,  and  the 
moults  correspond. 


294  D  WIGHT 

Troglodytes  aedon  Vieill.     HOUSE  WREN 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  Prout's-brown,  russet  tinged  on  the  rump  and  deep  grayish  sepia  on  the 
pileum,  sometimes  very  faintly  barred.  Wings  and  tail  Prout's-brown,  darkest 
on  the  wings,  both  with  wavy,  dusky  barring,  the  palest  areas  on  the  outer 
primaries.  Below,  including  sides  of  head,  dull  grayish  white  with  dusky 
mottling,  washed  strongly  with  russet  on  the  flanks  and  crissum.  Orbital  ring 
dusky  buff.  Bill  and  feet  buffy  sepia-brown,  becoming  darker. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,  beginning  late  in  August,  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the   rest  of  the  wings   nor  the 
tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  darker  and  grayer  with  faint  barring  above,  the 
wing  coverts,  chiefly  the  lesser  with  whitish  spots  ;  below  whiter  without  mot- 
tling, the  throat  and  sides  obscurely  barred  with  pale  drab,  the  flanks  and  cris- 
sum boldly  barred  with  dull  black  which  is  bordered  with  russet. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  excessive  by 
the  end  of  the  breeding  season,  which  brings   out  the  barring 
more  conspicuously  and  makes  the  bird  grayer  and  paler,  es- 
pecially below. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult  in  August.      Practically  indistinguishable  from 
first  winter,  perhaps  averaging  grayer  with  darker  wings  and  tail. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by   wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  correspond. 


Troglodytes  hiemalis  Vieill.     WINTER  WREN 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Sepia-brown. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  Mars-brown  russet-tinged,  the  crown  feathers  paler  centrally.  Wings 
darker  and  tail  ruddier,  both  duskily  barred,  alternating  on  the  outer  primaries 
with  pale  buff,  the  coverts  with  whitish  terminal  dots.  Below,  pale  cinnamon 
with  dusky  and  whitish  mottling,  the  flanks  and  crissum  deep  russet.  Orbital 
ring  and  faint  superciliary  line  dull  buff.  Bill  and  feet  pale  sepia-brown  be- 
coming darker. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF    NEW   YORK  295 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  middle  of  August,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  the  wing  coverts,  and  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Above,  very  similar  to  the  previous  plumage,  the  brown  usually  grayer  with  dusky 
and  whitish  barring  on  the  back.  Below,  pale  cinnamon,  the  throat  and  breast 
obscurely  streaked  with  white,  the  flanks,  abdomen  and  crissum  distinctly  barred 
with  russet,  dull  black  and  white  alternating  on  each  feather  and  producing  a 
dusky  appearance.  Orbital  ring  and  superciliary  line  clear  pale  buff. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  effecting  but 
little  change  in  the  colors  except  a  slight  paling. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnup- 
tial moult  in  August.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  first 
winter  dress,  perhaps  grayer  on  an  average,  and  more  heavily 
barred. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  indistinguishable  and  the  moults  are 
alike. 


Cistothorus  stellaris  (LIGHT.).     SHORT-BILLED  MARSH  WREN 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dull  black  on  the  pileum  and  back,  the  nape  sepia,  the  rump  and  upper -tail 
coverts  russet ;  streaked  anteriorly  with  white,  barred  on  the  rump  and  wings 
with  black,  white  and  cinnamon,  palest  on  the  primaries  ;  the  tail  drab,  mottled 
rather  than  barred  with  black.  Below,  including  sides  of  the  head,  ochraceous 
buff  palest  on  the  chin  and  throat  and  washed  strongly  on  the  sides,  flanks  and 
crissum  with  cinnamon,  the  feathers  whitish  centrally  and  terminally.  Bill  and 
feet  pinkish  buff  becoming  deep  sepia 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult  beginning   about  the   middle  of  August  which  involves 
the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts,  probably  the  tertiaries,  but 
not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage,  the  forehead  largely  sepia-brown  and  conspicuous 
white  stripes  on  the  crown.  Below,  the  ochraceous  wash  is  deeper  including 
a  pectoral  band  and  a  few  black  and  white  bars  occur  on  the  flanks.  The  ter- 
tiaries are  distinctly  black,  edged  and  barred  with  white,  russet  bordered. 


296  DWIGHT 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  nearly  complete 
prenuptial  moult,  as  indicated  by  the  relative  freshness  of  May 
specimens  and  proved  by  others  taken  April    I5th  in  Texas. 
Limited  material  indicates  that  only  a  few  of  the  outer  primaries 
are  renewed  in  some  cases,  the  same  thing  occurring  in  other 
species.     This  plumage  is  much  like  the  last,  with  perhaps  less 
barring,  and  shows  considerable  wear  later. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial   moult    in    August.       Indistinguishable    from   the   first 
winter  probably  averaging  richer  in  its  tints. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired   by   a    complete   or 
nearly  complete  prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  are  the  same. 

Cistothorus  palustris  (Wils.).      LONG-BILLED   MARSH  WREN 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     WThite  (plate  V,  fig.  2). 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Crown,  nape  and  part  of  back  brownish  black,  a  few  faint  white  lines  on  the 
nape  ;  the  scapularies,  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts  Prout' s-brown  often  russet 
tinged.  Wings  and  tail  dull  black,  the  tail  barred,  the  tertiary  edgings  mostly 
black,  the  coverts  and  secondaries  brownish  edged,  the  primaries  paler  with 
indications  of  barring.  Sides  of  head  dusky  ;  a  faint  whitish  superciliary  line. 
Below,  white,  washed  on  sides  of  breast  and  flanks  and  on  crissum  with  pale 
cinnamon.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish  buff  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  post] u venal 
moult,  beginning  about  the  middle  of  August,  which  involves 
the  body  plumages,  the  wing  coverts,  and  the  tertiaries,  but  not 
the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming 
practically  indistinguishable.     This  plumage  may  easily  be  mis- 
taken for  the  juvenal. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage,  but  the  brown  rustier  above,  a  brown  median  line  divid- 
ing the  black  crown ;  the  anterior  part  of  the  back  is  black  with  distinct  white 
streaking ;  the  superciliary  line  white  ;  the  tertiaries  duskier  and  more  mottled. 
Below,  the  cinnamon  wash  is  deeper  with  sometimes  a  pectoral  band  and  there 
is  obscure  whitish  and  dusky  barring  on  the  sides,  the  crissum  distinctly  barred. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  prenup- 
tial moult   as  indicated   by  the  relatively  unworn  condition  of 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  297 

the  feathers  when  the  birds  arrive  in  May.  Although  I  have 
no  positive  evidence  of  this  moult,  spring  birds  are  in  quite  as 
fresh  plumage  as  those  of  autumn  and  I  do  not  believe  the 
latter  could  be  so  little  affected  by  wear  during  the  winter 
months  as  not  to  show  more  of  it  on  their  return.  This  plum- 
age is  the  same  as  the  last,  perhaps  whiter  below  and  with  less 
obvious  barring  on  the  flanks  and  crissum  and  it  becomes  badly 
frayed  before  the  end  of  the  breeding  season. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August.    Practically  indistinguishable  from  first 
winter  but  the  wings  and  tail  usually  grayer,  the  tertiaries  and 
wing  coverts  more  heavily  barred. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  pre- 
nuptial  moult  the  same  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Females. — The  sexes  are  alike,  the  female  perhaps  averaging 
a  little  duller,  and  the  moults  are  the  same. 

CERTHIIDJE 

There  is  only  the  annual  moult  in  the  one  species  found  in 
New  York.  Young  birds  appear  to  get  a  new  tail  at  the  post- 
juvenal  moult  retaining  the  remiges  until  the  first  postnuptial. 

Certhia  familiaris  americana  (Bonap.).     BROWN  CREEPER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  streaked  or  mottled  with  bistre,  sepia  and  wood- 
brown,  the  rump  russet,  the  feathers  centrally  pale  brown  on  the  crown, 
whitish  on  the  back.  Wings  clove-brown,  reduced  to  a  line  on  the  outer  web 
of  the  tertiaries  ;  the  coverts  edged  with  pale  buff,  which  also  edges  sub- 
terminally  the  secondaries  and  tertiaries,  these  as  well  as  the  primaries  being 
crossed  by  a  midway  bar  besides,  and  all  are  tipped  with  pale  smoke-gray. 
Tail  pale  wood-brown,  dusky  along  the  shafts  and  narrowly  barred.  Below, 
dull  white,  flecked  on  the  chin,  throat  and  sides  with  pale  sepia,  the  crissum 
faintly  cinnamon  tinged.  Lores  and  auriculars  dusky  ;  indistinct  superciliary 
line  grayish  white.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  dusky  later. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  August  in  eastern  Canada,  which  in- 


298  DWIGHT 

volves  the  body  plumage,  wing  coverts,  and  the  tail,  but  not  the 
rest  of  the  wings,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistin- 
guishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage.  Above  darker,  the  rump  much  rustier,  the  crown  and 
back  with  white  shaft  streaks,  wing  covert  edgings  whiter.  Below,  silky  white, 
the  crissum  faintly  cinnamon  ;  tail  olive-brown  on  the  inner  webs,  Isabella- 
color  externally,  a  faint  barring  discernible,  the  middle  pair  of  rectrices  more 
broadly  and  less  distinctly  barred  than  in  Juvenal  plumage. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  birds  becom- 
ing rather  dingy  below  and  somewhat  faded  above. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  first 
winter,  rather  darker  and  richer. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the  young 
bird. 

Female.— 'The  sexes  are  alike  in  plumages  and  moults. 

PABID.E 

All  the  members  of  this  family  have  only  the  annual  moult. 
They  are  peculiar  in  assuming  a  Juvenal  plumage  closely  re- 
sembling the  pale  nuptial  plumage  which  results  from  extreme 
fading  of  the  winter  dress. 

Sitta  carolinensis  Lath.     WHITE-BREASTED  NUTHATCH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  cinereous  gray  with  faint  dull  black  edgings,  pileum  and  hind  neck  dull 
black  faintly  edged  on  the  nape  with  pale  buff.  Wings  dull  black,  the  prim- 
aries white  basally  and  with  a  dash  of  white  on  the  middle  of  their  outer  bor- 
ders ;  the  secondaries,  tertiaries  and  coverts  edged  with  cinereous  gray,  the 
greater  coverts  tipped  with  ashy  gray.  Tail  jet  black,  the  two  central  rectrices 
cinereous  gray,  the  outer  pairs  with  subterminal  white  blotches.  Below,  includ- 
ing sides  of  head  and  neck  and  superciliary  line,  grayish  white  usually  faintly 
pinkish  tinged  ;  the  crissum  partly  pale  cinnamon  ;  the  loral,  auricular  and 
malar  feathers  with  dusky  tips.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish  buff,  the  bill  be- 
coming bluish  slate-gray,  the  feet  deep  sepia. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  middle  of  July,  which  involves  the  body 


PASSERINE   BIRDS    OF   NEW   YORK  299 

plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage.  The  pileum  and  hind  neck  glossy  greenish  black, 
the  back  a  brighter,  bluer  cinerous  gray  without  dusky  edgings  ;  the  lower  sur- 
face everywhere  creamier  and  washed  with  pinkish  buff,  the  flanks,  crissum  and 
tibiae  Mars-brown. 

4.  FIRST   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear,  the  lower 
parts  fading  to  dull  grayish  white  except  a  tinge  of  pale  russet 
on  the  flanks,  crissum  and  tibiae.      Worn  adults  bear  a  striking 
resemblance  to  birds  in  Juvenal  dress. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  the 
first  winter. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the  young 
bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  First  distinguishable  from  the  male  in  Juvenal  plum- 
age, the  pileum  being  deep  plumbeous  gray,  the  hind  neck  dull 
black  ;  the  wing  coverts,  edgings  of  the  secondaries  and  the 
lower  parts  are  strongly  tinged  with  pale  russet,  the  crissum  with 
Mars-brown.  The  first  winter  plumage  lacks  the  glossy  black 
cap  of  the  male,  its  place  being  taken  by  dull  black  mostly  veiled 
with  plumbeous  gray  ;  the  back  is  of  a  duller  gray  ;  the  wing 
coverts  and  secondary  edgings  are  faintly  tinged  with  russet ; 
below  same  as  the  male.  Females  never,  even  in  later  plum- 
ages, acquire  enough  black  on  the  cap  to  be  mistaken  for  males. 

Sitta  canadensis  Linn.     RED-BREASTED  NUTHATCH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.      No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  bluish  plumbeous  gray,  with  a  few  faint  black  edgings,  the  pileum  and  trans- 
ocular  bands  reaching  the  hind  neck,  dull  black,  superciliary  lines  extending  to 
the  hind  neck,  white  speckled  with  black.  Wings  dull  clove-brown,  the  ter- 
tiaries  plumbeous,  the  alulae  black,  the  coverts  and  quills  edged  with  pale 
cinereous  gray,  palest  on  the  primaries.  Tail  black  with  subterminal  white 
spots  on  the  outer  rectrices,  the  two  central  quills  plumbeous.  Below,  pinkish 
buff,  the  crissum  pale  cinnamon,  the  breast  sometimes  with  a  few  faint  dusky 
edgings  ;  the  chin  and  adjacent  sides  of  head  white  with  dusky  edgings,  es- 


300  DWIGHT 

pecially  in  the  malar  regions.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish  buff,  the  bill  be- 
coming slaty  (except  flesh-color  at  base  of  lower  mandible),  the  feet  becoming 
grayish  black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  end  of  July  in  eastern  Canada,  which  in- 
volves the  body  plumage  but  not  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young 
and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage.  Above,  a  darker  bluer  plumbeous  gray,  the  pileum 
and  transocular  stripes  glossy  black,  the  superciliary  lines,  sides  of  head  and 
chin  clear  white  without  speckling.  Below,  rich  tawny  ochraceous  buff,  deepest 
on  the  sides  and  crissum,  the  under  tail  coverts  terminally  white. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by   wear,   the  fading 
so  marked  that  breeding  birds  resemble  those  in  Juvenal  dress. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  first 
winter. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the  young 
bird. 

Females. — The  plumages  and  moults  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  pileum  is  largely  plumbeous 
instead  of  black.  In  first  winter  dress,  the  pileum  becomes 
blacker,  veiled  by  plumbeous  edgings,  and  the  lower  parts  are 
paler.  In  later  plumages  the  cap  never  becomes  as  black  as 
that  of  the  male. 

Sitta  pusilla  Lath.     BROWN-HEADED  NUTHATCH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  dull  slate-gray,  the  pileum  pale  mouse-gray,  a  partly  concealed  dull  white 
spot  at  base  of  neck.  Wings  clove-brown,  the  greater  coverts  and  tertiaries 
edg^ed  with  wood-brown,  the  primaries  and  secondaries  with  dull  white.  Tail 
black,  the  middle  pair  of  rectrices  and  tips  of  the  outer  ones  plumbeous  gray, 
a  dingy  white  area  on  the  outer  webs  of  the  lateral  pairs.  Below,  dull  white, 
a  pale  pinkish  buff  wash  on  the  bteast,  abdomen  and  crissum.  Line  through 
eye  and  auriculars  deep  mouse-gray.  Bill  and  feet  pale  sepia-brown  becoming 
black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  in  July  in  Florida,  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  301 

wing  coverts,  but  not  the  remiges  nor  rectrices,  young  birds  and 
adults  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Above,  deep  plumbeous  gray,  the  pileum  Prout's  brown,  the  concealed  nuchal  spot 
clear  white.  Below,  rich  deep  pinkish  buff,  white  on  chin  and  sides  of  head 
and  neck  and  plumbeous  gray  on  the  flanks.  Line  through  eye  and  auriculars 
deep  Mars-brown. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear.     The  pinkish 
tint  below  is   lost   and  the  top  of  the  head  becomes  curiously 
mottled,   the   brown   remaining   dark  where  protected   by   the 
overlapping  feathers  but  fading  to  a  dull  white  at  the  tips  which 
become  much  abraded.     The  wear  is  far  greater  on  the  crown 
than  in  the  black-headed  species. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete   post- 
nuptial moult,  beginning  in  Florida  by  the  end  of  June.    Young 
and  adults  are  scarcely  distinguishable,  adults  averaging  deeper 
in  color  especially  the  wing  edgings. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The   sexes  are  practically  indistinguishable   in   all 
plumages,  and  the  moults  are  the  same. 

Parus  bicolor  Linn.     TUFTED  TITMOUSE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.    No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  brownish  mouse  gray.  Wings  and  tail  slightly  darker,  obscurely  edged  with 
olive-gray,  greenish  tinged  on  the  secondaries  and  tertiaries,  brownish  on  the 
coverts.  Below,  dull  grayish  white,  faintly  tinged  with  pinkish  buff,  deepest  on 
the  flanks.  Forehead  merely  dusky  and  crest  insignificant.  Bill  and  feet 
dusky  pinkish  buff  becoming  black  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  late  in  August,  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and 
wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young 
and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage,  but  dull  cinereous  gray  above,  deepest  on  the  crown, 
and  grayer  below,  the  sides  and  flanks  deep  russet  or  Mars-brown.  The  lores 
and  postocular  region  decidedly  white,  with  black  forehead  and  a  distinct  crest. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  which  shows 
chiefly  in  the  fading  of  the  flanks. 


302  DWJGHT 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult,  in  the  South  in  August.       Practically  indistin- 
guishable  from    first  winter  dress,  the  wing    edgings  perhaps 
richer  and  darker  on  an  average. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  as   in   the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond,  the  sexes 
usually  indistinguishable,  although  the  female  will  average 
browner  and  the  frontal  black  patch  brownish  and  duller. 


Parus  atricapillus  Linn.     CHICKADEE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Pale  mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  mouse-gray  ;  the  pileum,  chin  and  throat  dull  black.  Wings  and  tail  dull 
slate-gray  edged  with  dull  or  ashy  white,  the  primary  coverts  with  olive-gray. 
Below  (except  chin  and  throat),  dull  white,  washed  on  the  sides  and  crissum 
with  pale  pinkish  buff;  lores,  suborbital  region,  auriculars  and  sides  of  neck 
.pure  white.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  the  bill  becoming  slate-black,  the  feet 
grayish  clove- brown. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,   beginning  after  the   middle  of  July,  which  involves  the 
body  plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings 
nor  the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  indistinguish- 
able. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  except  that  the  flanks  and  crissum  are  strongly  washed 
with  pale  pinkish  wood-brown,  which  also  tinges  the  back,  and  the  posterior 
black,  throat  feathers  are  more  veiled  with  white  edgings.  The  pileum  is  of  a 
deeper  black  which  extends  further  on  the  hind  neck. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    wear,    through 
which  the  brownish  wash  fades  to  pinkish  buff,  like  the  Juvenal 
dress,  as  early  as  March,  and  by  June  is  nearly  all  lost.     The 
wing  edgings  are  considerably  diminished  by  abrasion.      The 
plumage  above  is  grayer. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July  and  August.      Practically  indistinguish- 
able from  first  winter  dress,  possibly  grayer. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  303 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  females  practically  indistinguishable,  but  averaging  a 
little  browner  black  on  the  cap  and  the  wash  on  the  sides  paler 
in  all  plumages. 

I  have  examined  large  series  of  this  species  taken  every 
month  in  the  year. 

Parus  carolinensis  Aud.     CAROLINA  CHICKADEE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Very  similar  to  same  stage  of  P.  atricapillus  but  with  olive-gray,  narrower,  incon- 
spicuous edgings  on  the  secondaries.  Above,  mouse-gray,  the  pileum  black. 
Wings  and  tail  dull  black,  the  edgings  olive-gray.  Below,  the  chin  and  throat 
dull  black,  the  breast  and.  abdomen  dingy  white,  a  wash  of  pale  pinkish  buff  on 
the  sides  and  crissum.  Lores,  saborbital  and  auricular  region  and  sides  of 
neck  pure  white.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish  buff  becoming  slaty. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  in  the  South  apparently  in  July,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the 
tail,  young  and  old  becoming  indistinguishable. 

Much  like  the  previous  plumage,  but  the  flanks  and  crissum  with  a  darker  wash, 
and  the  gray  of  the  back,  pinkish-tinged.  The  posterior  feathers  of  the  black 
area  of  the  throat  are  somewhat  veiled  with  white  edgings.  The  pileum  is 
blacker. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
much  of  the  pinkish  wash  on  the  sides  and  crissum  is  lost  and 
the  plumage  above  becomes  grayer. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial   moult.      Practically    indistinguishable    from    the    first 
winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as   in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  practically  alike,  the  females  often 
browner  and  the  black  cap  duller ;  the  moults  correspond. 


30-4  DWIGHT 

Parus  hudsonicus  Forst.     HUDSONIAN  CHICKADEE 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  brownish  mouse- gray,  the  pileum  pinkish  drab-gray.  Wings  and  tail  dull 
slate-gray  whitish  edged,  the  coverts  edged  with  pale  wood-brown.  Below, 
including  suborbital  region  and  auriculars  dingy  white  and  washed  on  the  sides 
and  crissum  with  pale  cinnamon,  the  chin  and  throat  dull  black.  Bill  and 
feet  dusky  pinkish  buff,  becoming  slate-black. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  early  in  August  in  eastern  Canada,  which  in- 
volves the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of 
the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming  practically  in- 
distinguishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage,  the  pileum  darker  and  the  back  browner,  contrasting 
but  slightly  with  the  cap  ;  the  flanks,  sides  and  crissum  rich  Mars-brown  ;  the 
black  on  the  throat  deeper  and  the  white  of  the  sides  of  the  head  and  lower 
parts  clearer. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by   wear,  the  flanks, 
sides  and  crissum  becoming  cinnamon  through  fading,  the  back 
grayer  and  the  cap  paler.     The  plumage  becomes  ragged  by 
the  end  of  the  breeding  season,  due  no  doubt  to  the  species  living 
among  spruces  and  suffering  by  abrasion  from  the  harsh  foliage. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult   in  August.      Practically  indistinguishable    from 
first  winter  dress. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as   in   the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  alike  and  the  moults  correspond. 

SYLVIID^E 

The  Kinglets  have  an  annual  moult,  the  young  males  of 
both  species  assuming  the  colored  crown  patches  at  the  postju- 
venal moult.  Polioptila  ccemlea  has  a  semi  annual  moult. 

Regulus  satrapa  Licht.     GOLDEN-CROWNED  KINGLET 
1.   NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  305 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  olive-brown,  greenish  tinged  on  the  back  and  mottled  with  dusky  edgings, 
the  pileum,  auriculars  and  lores  dull  black  or  clove-brown  ;  grayish  superciliary 
stripe  interrupted  by  black  extending  upward  from  the  lores  ;  suborbital  stripe 
dull  white.  Wings  and  tail  deep  olive-brown,  most  of  the  coverts,  tertiaries, 
secondaries  and  rectrices  edged  with  bright  olive-green,  the  greater  coverts 
tipped  with  buffy  white,  the  tertiaries  with  pale  olive-gray  ;  the  secondaries 
are  crossed  by  a  dusky  bar  on  their  proximal  third  and  are  basally  white,  yel- 
low tinged.  Below  dull  grayish  white,  a  few  dusky  edgings,  and  tinged  faintly 
with  pale  buff  on  the  throat,  sides  and  crissum.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish 
buff,  dusky  later. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  in  eastern  Canada  early  in  August,  which  in- 
volves the  body  plumage,  the  lesser  wing  coverts  chiefly  and 
not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming 
practically   indistinguishable.       The    young   bird    acquires    the 
orange  crown. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage.  Above,  olive-green,  olive-gray  on  the  nape  and 
sides  of  neck.  The  crown  with  a  broad  median  stripe  of  cadmium  orange 
bordered  by  lateral  streaks  of  lemon-yellow  and  these  by  black.  The  orbital 
ring  is  blacker  and  the  superciliary  line  whiter,  less  interrupted  by  black, 
broader  behind  the  eye  and  the  white  extending  across  the  forehead.  Below, 
browner,  largely  olive-buff  or  gray. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  not  marked  till 
late  in  the  breeding  season.     The  orange  crown  feathers  are 
very  resistant  to  wear  and  always  look  fresh. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  first 
winter. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the  young 
bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  pileum  usually  has  less  black 
than  that  of  the  male  and  is  sometimes  wholly  olive-gray  in- 
cluding lores  and  auriculars.  The  first  winter  plumage  lacks 
the  orange  crown  stripe,  its  place  being  taken  by  pale  lemon - 
yellow,  and  the  orange  of  the  male  is  never  assumed  in  any 
plumage. 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD    Sci.,  XIII.,  Oct.  31,  1900 — 20 


306  DWIGHT 

Regulus  calendula  (Linn.).     RUBY-CROWNED  KINGLET 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.      No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    a    complete    postnatal 
moult. 

Above,  including  wings  and  tail,  clove-brown,  the  crown  and  back  with  faint  dusky 
mottling.  Wing  edgings  olive-green,  those  of  the  tertiaries  grayer.  Below, 
dull  buffy  white,  browner  on  the  abdomen  and  crissum.  Bill  and  feet  dusky 
pinkish  buff,  nearly  black  later. 

Similar  to  R.  satrapa  but  darker,  the  crown  uniform  with  the  back  and  no  super- 
ciliary line. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  in  the  far  North,  which  involves  the  body  plumage,  and 
the  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail, 
young  and  old  becoming    practically  indistinguishable.       The 
"  ruby  "  crown  is  assumed  by  the  young  bird. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head  and  neck,  grayish  olive-green  brightest  on  the  rump 
and  edgings  of  the  wings  and  tail,  the  coverts  and  tertiaries  tipped  with  white 
or  buff.  Median  stripe  on  crown  and  occiput  scarlet  vermilion  or  orange.  Be- 
low, olive-buff,  browner  on  the  sides.  A  conspicuous  orbital  ring  white,  inter- 
rupted with  dull  black  above  and  below. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  the  back  be- 
coming grayer  and  the  tertiary  edgings  mostly  lost.    A  few  new 
feathers  often  appear  in  the  spring  indicating  a  tendency  toward 
a  prenuptial  moult. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult.      Practically  indistinguishable  from  first  winter 

dress. 

» 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as   in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  Females  are  somewhat  browner  in  autumn  and  lack 
in  all  plumages  the  red  crown  spot  of  the  male. 

Polioptila  cserulea  (Linn.).     BLUE-GRAY  GNATCATCHER 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  307 

Above,  drab  or  smoke-gray.  Wings  clove-brown  the  tertiaries  broadly  white  edged. 
Tail  black,  the  two  outer  rectrices  chiefly  white,  the  third  with  terminal  white 
spot.  Below,  grayish  white,  faintly  buff  on  abdomen.  Lores  and  orbital  ring 
grayish  white.  Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  becoming  black  later. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  in   Louisiana  the  middle  of  July,  which  in- 
volves the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of 
the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  dull  bluish  plumbeous  gray  above  with  a  brownish 
wash  on  the  back,  and  pearl-gray  below,  whiter  on  abdomen  and  crissum. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult,  in  February,  which  involves  chiefly  the  anterior  parts  of 
the  head,  chin  and  throat.     The  black  frontal  band  and  supra- 
loral  lines  are  acquired,  the  crown  becoming  bluer  and  the  chin 
and  throat  deeper  gray.     Young  and  old  become  indistinguish- 
able. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult.      Differs  from  first  winter  in   having  the  black 
frontal  band  and  supraloral  lines ;  the  blue  and   gray  tints  are 
also  richer. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  a  partial 
prenuptial  moult  as  in  the  young  bird. 

Female. — In  Juvenal  and  first  winter  plumages  indistinguish- 
able from  the  male.  With  less  blue  and  without  black  frontal 
band  in  all  subsequent  plumages. 


TURDID^E 

t 

The  uniform  rule  is  an  annual  moult  for  all  the  species  of  this 
family  with  the  postjuvenal  moult  incomplete.  The  Thrushes 
are  peculiar,  especially  females,  in  frequently  failing  to  renew 
the  spotted  wing  coverts  at  the  postjuvenal  moult,  so  that  old 
and  young  may  usually  be  told  apart  by  this  character  during 
the  succeeding  twelve-month.  The  natal  down  remains  at- 
tached for  a  longer  period  than  in  most  other  species  of  Pas- 
serine birds. 


308  DWIGHT 

Turdus  mustelinus  Gmel.     WOOD  THRUSH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  deep  raw  umber-brown,  paler  on  the  crown  and  nape,  the  rump  olive, 
spotted  on  crown  and  nape  with  tawny  olive,  tips  of  the  wing  coverts  and  a  few 
linear  streaks  on  the  back  also  tawny  olive.  Wings  and  tail  tawny  olive-brown, 
the  wing  coverts  with  slightly  paler  edgings.  Below,  pure  white,  tinged  with 
buff  on  the  jugulum  and  sides,  heavily  spotted  on  the  throat  and  breast  and  less 
obviously  on  the  sides  with  large  rounded  black  spots.  Auriculars  dusky,  lores 
ashy,  orbital  ring  white  and  prominent.  Bill  and  feet  pale  pinkish  buff  becom- 
ing slightly  darker  with  age. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  end  of  July,  which  involves  the  body  plu- 
mage, the  lesser  coverts,  usually  a  part  of  the  other  coverts,  but 
not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail.      Young  and  old  often  be- 
come indistinguishable. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  without  streaks  on  the  back  and  whiter  below  with 
larger  spots.  Above,  russet,  brightest  on  the  crown,  olive  tinged  on  the  rump. 
Below,  white,  heavily  spotted  with  black,  a  wash  of  pale  buff  on  the  throat. 
Orbital  ring  white  and  conspicuous. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  the  buff  wash 
being  mostly  lost  and  the  spots  becoming  rather  duller.      There 
is  no  obvious  fading,  above. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  July  and  August.      Practically  indistinguish- 
able from  first  winter  dress,  averaging  a   little  darker  and  the 
wing  edgings  uniform  with  the  wings  without  terminal  edgings 
or  spots. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired   by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  and  moults  are  alike. 


Turdus  fuscescens  Steph.     WILSON'S  THRUSH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,   deep  raw  umber-brown  with  dusky  edgings  and 
large  guttate  spots  of  tawny  olive.     Wings  and  tail  tawny  olive  brown  the  greater 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW    YORK  309 

coverts  and  tertiaries  edged  with  tawny  olive  and  darker  tipped.  Below,  white, 
strongly  tinged  on  jugulum,  less  strongly  on  the  chin,  breast,  sides  and  crissum 
with  tawny  olive,  heavily  spotted  or  barred  on  the  jugulum,  faintly  on  the 
breast  and  anterior  parts  and  sides  of  the  abdomen  with  clove-brown,  the 
feathers  also  barred  with  a  subterminal  tawny  band.  Submalar  stripes  dusky. 
Bill  and  feet  pinkish  buff,  remaining  pale  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  middle  of  July,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage,  and  lesser  coverts  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Similar  to  the  previous  plumage  but  without  the  spotting  above  and  the  barred  effect 
below.  Above,  uniform  deep  russet  or  pale  mummy-brown.  Below,  white, 
olive -gray  on  the  sides  and  flanks,  and  strongly  tinged  on  the  throat,  neck  and 
jugulum  with  pale  ochraceous  buff  ending  abruptly  on  the  breast,  and  sparsely 
spotted  on  the  jugulum  and  sides  of  the  throat  with  pale  sepia  deltoid  spots,  a 
few  still  fainter  on  the  breast.  Lores  grayish  white  with  dusky  edgings  ;  or- 
bital ring  similar  and  not  conspicuous. 

Young  birds  may  usually  be  distinguished   from  adults  by 
the  terminal  buff  spots  of  the  retained  Juvenal  wing  coverts. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  the  buff  be- 
low and  the  spots  fading  a  little,  and  the  russet  above  becoming 
grayer. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial   moult  in  July.     Young  heretofore  distinguishable   by 
juvenal  plumage,  wing  edgings  and  tippings  become  indistin- 
guishable from  adults,  which  lack  them.     Adults  are  of  a  deeper 
less  yellowish  brown  above. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  and  moults  are  alike. 


Turdus  aliciae  Baird.     GRAY-CHEEKED  THRUSH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  greenish  olive-brown,  wings  and  tail  darker,  the  pileum,  back,  wing  coverts 
(except  primary  and  greater)  and  rump  with  buffy  white  linear  shaft  streaks. 
Below,  white,  very  faintly  tinged  with  pale  buff  on  the  breast  and  sides,  the 
breast  and  throat  spotted  with  black  tending  to  barring  en  forepart  of  abdomen 


310  D  WIGHT 

and  flanks.  Sides  of  head  pale  buff,  black  spotted ;  submalar  streaks  black  ; 
distinct  orbital  ring  rich  buff.  Bill  and  feet  clay-color  in  dried  skin,  the  upper 
mandible  sepia.  This  dress  is  grayer  and  with  less  buff  than  the  correspond- 
ing plumage  of  T.  u.  swainsonii. 

Description  from  an  Alaskan  bird. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  apparently  by  a  partial 
postjuvenal  moult,  in  August  in  the  far  North,  which  involves 
the  body  plumage  and  lesser  wing  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of 
the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Above,  similar  to  corresponding  plumage  of  T.  ti.  siuainsonii,  the  olive-brown  usu- 
ally darker  with  less  yellowish  tinge,  especially  on  the  head.  Below,  with 
no  buff  except  a  faint  wash  on  the  jugulum  ;  the  sides  of  the  head  and  breast 
are  therefore  much  grayer  and  the  orbital  ring  distinctly  white.  The  buffy 
edgings  or  terminal  spots  of  the  retained  Juvenal  wing  coverts  are  usually  dis- 
tinctive of  the  first  winter  dress. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,  birds  becom- 
ing very  slightly  grayer  above. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.      Usually  the   edgings   of  the   wing  coverts  are 
uniform  in  color  with  the  wings  and  the  upper  parts  will  aver- 
age darker  than  in  first  winter  dress.      Young  and  old  now  be- 
come indistinguishable. 

6.  ADULT   NUPTIAL   PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird.      Distinguishable  in  many  cases  from  first  nuptial 
by  lacking  the  buffy  wing  edgings  or  spots  which  however  may 
be  less  obvious  at  this  stage  on  account  of  wear. 

Female. — The  sexes  and  moults  are  alike. 

Turdus  alicise  bicknelli  (Ridgw.).     BICKNELL'S  THRUSH 

The  moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of  T.  alicice. 
A  buffiness,  which  is  lacking  in  T.  alicice,  characterizes  all 
plumages  but  plumage  differences  are  extremely  small  at  every 
stage. 

Turdus  ustulatus  swainsonii  (Cab.).     OLIVE-BACKED  THRUSH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  311 

Very  similar  to  T.  aliens  but  browner  above  and  with  more  buff  below  and  about 
the  head,  the  linear  spots  deeper  buff.  Above,  olive-brown,  wings  and  tail  darker, 
the  feathers  of  the  pileum,  back,  lesser,  median  and  sometimes  part  of  greater 
coverts  and  the  rump  with  linear  shaft  streaks  or  terminal  spots  of  buff.  Below, 
strongly  washed  with  buff  on  throat,  breast  and  sides,  and  heavily  spotted  with 
black  on  the  breast  and  sides  of  throat,  the  fore  parts  and  sides  of  whiter  ab- 
domen indistinctly  barred.  Sides  of  head  buff,  spotted  with  black  ;  orbital  ring 
distinct,  pale  ochraceous  buff;  submalar  stripes  black.  Bill  and  feet  dark 
pinkish  buff  remaining  pale  when  older. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,  beginning  the  middle  of  August,  which  involves  the  body 
plumage,  the  lesser  coverts  and  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  unstreaked  above  and  less  spotted  below.  Above, 
uniform  yellowish  olive-brown  ;  below,  together  with  the  superciliary  stripe  and 
distinct  orbital  ring,  rich  ochraceous  buff,  becoming  abruptly  white  on  the 
breast,  abdomen  andcrissum,  the.  sides  washed  with  pale  olive-gray,  and  chains 
of  deltoid  clove-brown  spots  on  the  throat  and  breast,  paler  on  the  fore  part  of 
the  abdomen.  Spotted  wing  coverts  remaining  of  the  Juvenal  dress  are  charac- 
teristic, except  in  precocious  individuals.  The  tail  uniform  in  color  with  the 
back  easily  distinguishes  this  species  from  T.  a.  pallasii,  and  the  more  spotted 
breast  and  striking  orbital  ring  distinguish  it  from  T.  fuscescens. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
much  of  the  buff  tint  is  lost,  and  the  upper  parts  become  grayer. 
There  is  very  little  actual  abrasion  evident  until  late  in  the  breed- 
ing season. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  the  middle  of  August  or  not  before  the 
first  of  September.      Differs  in  most  cases  from  first  winter  dress 
in  lacking  the  retained    tell-tale  wing  coverts    of  the  Juvenal 
plumage  and  the  upper  parts  will  average  deeper  in  color.     The 
wings  and  tail  will  average  darker  and  the  coverts  are  without 
terminal  buff  spots.      Young  and   old  become   indistinguish- 
able. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the  young 
bird,  from  which  in  most  cases  the  lack  of  retained  wing  coverts 
distinguishes  adults. 

Female. — The  sexes  and  moults  are  alike. 


312  DWIGHT 

Turdus  aonalaschkae   pallasii  (Cab.).     HERMIT  THRUSH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  including  sides  of  head,  sepia  or  olive-brown,  the  rump  russet,  and  every- 
where spotted  with  large  buffy  white  guttate  spots  bordered  with  black.  The 
wings  rather  darker,  the  coverts  and  tertiaries  with  small  terminal  buffy  spots. 
Tail  burnt  umber-brown.  Below,  white  faintly  tinged  with  buff,  spotted  with 
deep  black,  on  sides  of  neck,  across  the  breast  and  on  the  flanks  and  crissum, 
the  throat  and  breast,  the  fore  part  of  the  abdomen  and  flanks  faintly  barred. 
Bill  and  feet  dull  pinkish  buff  remaining  pale  when  older.  Compared  with 
corresponding  plumage  of  T.  u.  swainsonii,  the  brown  above  is  deeper  with 
larger,  paler  spots,  while  below  there  is  much  less  buff  tint  and  the  spots  are 
blacker.  The  reddish  tail  is,  of  course,  distinctive. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,  beginning  late  in  August,  which  involves  the  body  plum- 
age, most  of  the  lesser  and  median  coverts,  but  not  the  rest  of 
the  wings  nor  the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage  but  without  spotting  above  and  the  black  spots  below 
fewer.  Above,  including  sides  of  head  olive  tinged  mummy-brown,  burnt- 
umber  on  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts.  Below,  white,  tinged  faintly  with  buff 
on  throat  and  breast,  with  olive-gray  on  the  sides  and  spotted  heavily  on  the 
throat  and  faintly  on  the  breast  with  large  deltoid  black  spots.  Lores  and  sub- 
malar  lines  black  ;  orbital  ring  pale  buff.  The  buff  spotted  coverts  retained  dis- 
tinguish young  from  adults. 

Above,  most  resembles  T.  fuscescens,  the  tail  however  ruddier  ;  also  resembles  T. 
u,  swainsonii,  but  browner  above,  the  throat  spots  larger  and  the  tail  distinctive. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear,  the   upper 
surface  becoming  rather  grayer  and  the  buff  below  mostly  lost. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired   by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August  and  September.     Averages  darker  and 
lacks  the  tell-tale  coverts  and  tertiaries  of  the  first  winter  dress. 
Young  and  old  become  indistinguishable. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired    by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird,  from  which  it  is  usually  distinguishable  by  the  wing 
coverts. 

Female. — The  sexes  and  moults  are  alike. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  313 

Merula  migratoria  (Linn.).     AMERICAN  ROBIN 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     Mouse-gray. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Pileum  clove-brown  with  faint  whitish  shaft  streaks ;  back,  lesser  and  median  wing 
coverts  mouse-gray,  each  feather  with  elliptical  shaft  streaks  of  pale  wood- 
brown,  edged  with  dull  black  ;  rump  paler  with  dusky  barring.  Wings  and 
tail  (except  as  described)  clove  brown  with  whitish  edgings,  the  two  outer 
pairs  of  rectrices  terminally  blotched  with  dull  white,  the  others  sometimes 
tipped.  Below,  tawny  ochraceous,  lighter  or  darker  according  to  individual, 
sometimes  ochraceous  rufous,  the  chin,  mid- abdomen  and  crissum  white,  the 
sides  of  the  chin  streaked,  the  throat,  breast  and  abdomen  heavily  spotted  with 
black,  becoming  edging  or  barring  posteriorly  ;  under  tail  coverts  white,  basally 
dusky.  Auriculars  and  lores  black,  obscure  superciliary  line  ochraceous  buff, 
orbital  ring  paler.  Bill  and  feet  dull  pinkish  buff,  becoming  dusky. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult,  beginning  late  in  August  and  extending  through  Sep- 
tember and  part  of  October,  which  involves  the  body  plumage, 
wing  coverts  and  tertiaries,  but  not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage,  but  without  spots  above  and  below.  Above,  including 
wing  coverts,  pale  grayish  olive-brown,  veiling  dull  black  on  the  pileum ;  the 
throat,  abdomen  and  sides  tawny  or  pale  ochraceous  rufous,  much  veiled  by 
broad  white  edgings,  grayish  on  the  throat ;  the  chin  and  fore-throat  white, 
streaked  with  dull  black,  malar  stripe  and  forehead  tinged  with  ochraceous  ; 
lores  and  auriculars  dull  black  ;  superciliary  line  and  orbital  ring  white.  Pos- 
terior abdomen,  crissum  and  tibiae  white,  the  tail  coverts  slaty  basally.  Wing 
coverts  grayish  olive-brown,  brownish  edged  and  palest  terminally. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  through  which 
much  of  the  white  edging  below  is  lost  so   that  birds  become 
redder,  without  veiling,  the  concealed  black  of  the  pileum  is 
brought  out  and  the  streaking  on  the  chin  becomes  clear  black 
and  white. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  in  August  and  September.      Usually  distinguish- 
able from  first  winter  dress  by  being  grayer  above,  the  head 
blacker  and  less  veiled ;  below  the  ochraceous  rufous  is  richer, 
less  veiled  and  even  invading  the  chin  the  streaks  of  which  are 
broader  ;  the  lores  and  auriculars  are  blacker  than  in  the  young 
bird  and  the  spots  tipping  the  lateral  rectrices  are  whiter  and 
larger. 


314  DWIGIIT 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the  young 
bird. 

Female. — The  sexes  are  usually  indistinguishable  in  most 
plumages  although  the  female  is  duller  in  first  winter  and  first 
nuptial  plumages,  the  black  about  the  head  brownish,  the  wings 
and  tail  browner  with  less  distinct  tail  blotches. 


Hesperocichla  naevia  (Gmel.).     VARIED  THRUSH 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  olive-brown,  plumbeous  on  rump  ;  very  faint  whitish  shaft-streaks.  Wings 
and  tail  clove-brown  with  ochraceous  bands  edging  the  quills  and  tipping 
the  coverts.  Below,  ochraceous  buff,  whiter  on  abdomen,  a  pectoral  band 
and  edgings  of  throat  and  breast,  olive-brown.  Supra-auricular  line  buff. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage  and  wing  coverts  but 
not  the  rest  of  the  wings  nor  the  tail,  young  and  old  becoming 
practically  indistinguishable.      It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  this  is 
another  species  which  shows  parti-colored  feathers  at  the  junc- 
tion of  two  areas  of  different  colors. 

Similar  to  previous  plumage,  but  deeper  tints.  Above,  deep  plumbeous  gray  with 
brownish  edgings,  darker  on  the  pileum,  the  wing  coverts  broadly  tipped  with 
deep  orange  buff,  forming  two  wing  bands.  Below  rich  orange  buff,  the  abdo- 
men and  crissum  chiefly  white  mixed  with  buff  and  olive-gray,  the  sides  with 
olive-gray  edgings.  A  black  pectoral  band,  somewhat  veiled  with  gray,  orange 
tinged. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear,   which  pro- 
duces slight  effects  birds  becoming  grayer  above. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial  moult.      Scarcely  diners  from   first   winter  dress,   the 
colors  deeper  and  the  pectoral  band  broader  and  blacker. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  Indistinguishable  in  Juvenal  dress,  however,  especially 
wings  and  tail.  In  first  winter  plumage  duller  and  browner, 
the  faint  pectoral  band  mouse-gray  and  the  crissum  grayer. 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  315 

Saxicola  cenanthe  (Linn.).     WHEATEAR 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  mouse-gray,  browner  on  the  back  and  white  on  the  rump,  the  feathers  with 
dusky  terminal  edgings  and  with  central  whitish  spots.  Wings  dull  black, 
lesser  coverts  like  the  back,  other  coverts,  secondaries  and  tertiaries  with  cinna- 
mon edgings,  paler  at  the  tips  of  the  primaries.  Tail  basally  white,  terminally 
dull  black,  tipped  with  pale  cinnamon.  Below,  dull  white,  the  feathers  of  the 
chin,  throat  and  breast  with  dusky  terminal  edgings.  Bill  and  feet  brownish 
black  in  dried  specimens. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postju venal 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage,  but  not  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

General  color  cinnamon,  paler  on  chin,  superciliary  stripes,  and  under  tail  coverts. 
Lores  obscurely  black. 

4.  FIRST  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  the  body  plumage,  but  not  the  wings  nor 
the  tail. 

Smoke -gray  above,  with  white  upper  tail  coverts  and  superciliary  stripe  and  a  black 
transocular  line.  Below,  white,  tinged,  chiefly  on  throat,  with  pale  cinnamon. 

The  worn  wings  and  tail  with  remains  of  the  brown  edgings 
of  the  juvenal  plumage  distinguish  young  from  old  birds. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult.     Similar  to  first  winter  dress,  but  the  edgings 
not  so  brown  and  the  wings,  primary  coverts  especially,  and 
tail,  blacker.     A   specimen   from   Roumania   (Am.    Mus.   Nat. 
Hist,  No.  54069,  <£,  July  5)  is  passing  by  moult  from  the  gray 
nuptial  to  the  brown  winter  dress,  four  of  the  proximal  primaries 
and  a  part  of  the  body  plumage  already  renewed  at  this  early 
date. 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  prenuptial 
moult  which  involves  only  the  body  plumage,  as  in  the  young 
bird.      The   blacker  less  worn  wings  and  tails  without  signs  of 
buffy  edgings,  whiter  forehead  and  clearer  white  of  lower  parts 
less  washed  with  cinnamon,  all   help  to  distinguish  old  birds 
from  young  ones. 


316  DWIGHT 

Female. — The  moults  and  plumages  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male,  the  plumages  duller,  and  the  prenuptial  moult  often 
limited  in  extent.  The  transocular  line  is  obscure  in  first  winter 
dress,  and  dull  black  in  subsequent  plumages. 


Sialia  sialis  (Linn.).     BLUEBIRD 

1.  NATAL  DOWN.     No  specimen  seen. 

2.  JUVENAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  postnatal  moult. 

Above,  slaty  mouse-gray,  the  back  lesser,  median  and  a  few  inner  greater  coverts 
with  white  guttate  spots  bordered  with  sepia,  the  crown  and  rump  much  grayer 
and  unspotted  but  sometimes  with  obscure  dusky  transverse  barring.  Wings 
and  tail  dull  azure-blue,  the  shafts  and  tips  of  remiges  and  rectrices  dusky  with 
faint  whitish  edgings  ;  tertiaries  and  greater  coverts  edged  with  pale  chestnut. 
Below,  dull  white,  mottled  on  throat,  breast  and  sides  with  sepia,  the  feathers 
centrally  white  bordered  by  the  sepia  and  a  rusty  suffusion.  Auriculars  dusky 
mouse-gray  mixed  with  white ;  lores  grayish  ;  conspicuous  orbital  ring  pure 
white.  Bill  and  feet  dusky  pinkish  buff  becoming  deep  sepia.  First  primary 
and  outer  pair  of  rectrices  without  the  white  edging  of  the  female. 

3.  FIRST  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  partial  postjuvenal 
moult,   in    August  and  September,   which  involves  the   body 
plumage,  wing  coverts,  tertiaries  and  tail,  but  not  the  rest  of  the 
remiges. 

Unlike  the  previous  plumage  and  wholly  blue  and  chestnut.  Above,  including  sides 
of  head,  orbital  ring  and  wing  coverts,  deep  azure  or  purplish  cobalt-blue,  often 
campanula-blue  on  the  crown,  veiled  everywhere  with  pale  chestnut  edgings, 
the  tertiaries  and  wing  coverts  faintly  whitish  edged.  Below,  pale  chestnut, 
white  on  abdomen  and  crissum.  the  anterior  part  and  sides  of  the  chin  dull 
white  mixed  with  a  little  blue.  Tail  brighter  blue  than  in  Juvenal  plumage, 
the  rectrices  without  dusky  tips  or  whitish  edgings. 

4.  FIRST    NUPTIAL    PLUMAGE    acquired    by    wear,    through 
which  the  edgings  of  the  back  are  lost  and  the  color  becomes  an 
ultramarine  or  azure  blue  depending  somewhat  upon  the  angle 
at  which  the  light  strikes  the  plumage.     The  chestnut  below 
fades. 

5.  ADULT  WINTER  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  a  complete  post- 
nuptial moult  beginning  about  the  middle  of  August.     Practi- 
cally indistinguishale  from  first  winter  dress,  the  colors  usually 
somewhat  richer  and  the  chin  bluer. 


PASSERINE    BIRDS    OF   NEW   YORK  317 

6.  ADULT  NUPTIAL  PLUMAGE  acquired  by  wear  as  in  the 
young  bird. 

Female. — The  plumages  and  moults  correspond  to  those  of 
the  male.  In  Juvenal  plumage  the  female  is  similar  to  the  male, 
but  the  outer  primary  and  outer  rectrix  have  white  outer  webs, 
the  blue  is  everywhere  very  much  duller,  and  replaced  with 
brown  on  the  tertiaries  and  wing  coverts,  the  edgings  duller 
and  the  quills  with  duskier  tips.  In  first  winter  plumage  the 
blue  is  obscure  and  confined  to  the  wings,  tail  and  rump,  the 
back  is  dull  grayish  chestnut,  grayer  on  the  crown,  The  sides 
of  head  are  gray  and  white  mixed,  the  orbital  ring  white. 
Below,  the  throat,  breast  and  sides  are  reddish  cinnamon,  tinge- 
ing  also  the  grayish  white  chin  ;  abdomen  and  crissum  dull 
white.  The  first  nuptial  plumage  is  acquired  by  wear  and 
usually  shows  a  little  more  blue  as  the  edgings  are  lost.  The 
adult  winter  plumage  is  practically  indistinguishable  from  the 
first  winter  but  a  little  bluer  above  and  ruddier  below  and  the 
adult  nuptial  is  the  same,  modified  by  wear. 

Postscript. — Although  my  paper  was  read  on  March  13, 
1899,  and  placed  in  the  editor's  hands  on  July  1 1,  1899,  owing 
to  unforseen  delays,  no  proof  reached  me  until  nearly  a  year 
later,  on  June  I,  1900.  However,  thanks  to  the  courtesy  of  the 
editor,  I  have  had  opportunity  to  revise  the  whole  paper  up  to 
this  date,  and  a  portion  of  it  to  a  still  later  date,  so  that  it  has 
lost  nothing  by  the  long  delay  in  publication,  and  now  consti- 
tutes a  complete  study  of  the  moults  and  plumages  of  the  Pas- 
serine birds  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

NEW  YORK  CITY,  Oct.  8,  1900. 


318  DWIGHT 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

The  bibliography  includes  titfes  of  papers  and  notes  on  the  moult 
and  immature  plumages  of  the  foregoing  species ;  and  on  the  devel- 
opment, structure  and  colors  of  feathers  in  general,  but  especially  of 
Passerine  species.  Titles  of  general  works  and  of  papers  on  feathers 
other  than  Passerine  have,  as  a  rule,  been  excluded.  Every  title  has 
been  verified  excepting  those  marked  with  an  asterisk. 

Alix,  E. 

'65  Essai  sur  la  forme,  la  structure  et  le  developpement  de  la 
plume 

Bull,  des  Sti.  de  la  Soc.  philomatique   (Paris),   6C  ser.  II. 
1865.     pp.  209-233  -f  i 

Alix,  E. 

'74  Sur  les  plumes  ou  remiges  des  ailes  des  oiseaux.  [Abstract.] 
Bull,  des  Sd.  de  la  Soc.  philom.  (Paris),  6eser.  XI.  1874. 
p.  10 

A[llen],  J.  A. 

'84       Jeffries  on  the  epidermal  system  of  birds.      [Review.] 
Auk,  I.      1884.      pp.  182,  183 
See  Jeffries,  J.  A.,  '83 

A[llen],  J.  A. 

'85       Sharpe's  catalogue  of  the  birds  in  the  British  Museum  .  .  . 
Volume  X.      [Review.] 
Auk,  II.      1885.     pp.  365-368 

A[llen],  J.  A. 

'86       Beckham  on  the  plumage  of  Reguhts  calendula.     [Review.] 
Auk,  III.      1886.     p.  268 
See  Beckham,  C.  W.,  '85 

Allen,  J.  A. 

'86       "  Aptoso-Chromatism."      [Review.] 
Auk,  III.      1886.     pp.  413,  414 
See  Hoxie,  W.,  '86 

A[llen],  J.  A. 

'93       Keeler  on  the  '  Evolution  of  the  Colors  of  North  Amer- 
ican Land  birds.'      [Review.] 
Auk,  X.      1893.     pp.  189-95 
See  Keeler,  C.  H.,  '93 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF    NEW   YORK  319 

A[llen],  J.  A. 

'93       Beddard's  'Animal  Coloration.'      [Review.] 
Auk,  X.      1893.     pp.  195-199 
See  Beddard,  F.  E.,  '92 

Allen,  J.  A. 

'93       [Reply  to   '  The  Evolution  of  the  colors  of  North  Amer- 
ican land  birds.     A  reply  to  criticism.'] 
Auk,  X.      1893.      pp.  377-80 
See  Keeler,  C.  H.,  '93 

A[llen],  J.  A. 
'93-'95    Newton's  dictionary  of  birds.      [Parts  I,  II,  III] 

Auk,  X.      1893.     pp.   357-60;  ibid.  XL      1894.     pp.  56 
-60;  ibid.  XII.      1895.     pp.  169,  170 
See  Newton,  A.,  and  Gadovv,  H.,  '93-96 

Allen,  J.  A. 

'94       First  plumages 

Auk,  XI.      1894.      pp.  91—93,  col'd  pi.  II 

A[llen],  J.  A. 

'95       Sharpe  and  Wyatt's  monograph  of  the  swallows.     [Review.] 
Auk,  XII.      1895.     pp.  373-375 
See  Sharpe,  R.  B.,  and  Wyatt,  C.  W.,  '85-94    • 

Allen,  J.  A. 

'96       Alleged  changes  of  color  in  the  feathers  of  birds  without 
moulting 

Bull.  Amer.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  VIII.  1896.  pp.  13-44 
Reviewed  by  D wight,  J.,  Jr.,  Auk,  XIII.  1896.  pp. 
166,  167 

Allen,  J.  A. 

'96  Gatke's  'Heligoland.'  [Review.] 
Auk,  XIII.  1896.  pp.  137-153 
See  Gatke,  H.,  '95 

Al[len],  J.  A. 

'98       Hair  and  feathers.      [Review.] 
Auk,  XV.      1898.      pp.  207 
See  Kingsley,  J.  S.,  '97 

Altum,  B. 

'55       Ueber  den  Ban  der  Federn  als  Grund  ihrer  Farbung.     Em 
Beitrag  zur  Pterologie 

Journ.  f.  Orn.,  II.  1854.  VI  Heft,  no.  12;  Erinner- 
ungsschrift.  1855.  pp.  xix-xxxv 


320  DWIGHT 

Altum,  B. 

'54       Ueber  die  Farben  der  Vogelfedern  im  Allgemeinen,  iiber 

das  Schillern  insbesondere 
Naumannia.      1854.     pp.  293-304 

Altum,  B. 

'67       Aberrationen  [in  der  Farbung  der  Vogel] 
Journ.f.  Orn.,  XV.      1867.      pp.  85-89 

American  Ornithologists'  Union. 

'95       Check  list  of  North  American  birds  prepared  by  a  com- 
mittee of  the  American  Ornithologists'  Union 
Second  and  Revised  Edition.     8vo.     pp.  xi,  372.      New 
York.      1895 

[Anon—"  An  Old  Bushman."] 

'66       On  the  change  of  plumage  in  the  common  Crossbill  {Loxia 
curvirostra} ,  with  a  few  remarks    on  their  breeding  and 
other  habits 
Intellectual  Observer,  VIII.      1866.      pp.  188-196 

Aristotle  (384-322  B.  C.) 

Opera    omnia    {Historia    animalium   Lib.    Ill,    cap.    12), 
Venitiis,  1497 — editio  princeps  and  many  later 

Bachman,  J. 

'39       Observations  on  the  changes  of  colour  in  birds  and  quadru- 
peds 

Trans.  Amer.   Philos.   Soc.    (Phila.),  n.   ser.,  VI.      1839. 
pp.  197-239 
Barrows,  W.  B. 

'84       Abnormal  coloration  in  a  caged  Robin 
Auk,  I.      1884.     p.  90 

Barrows,  W.  B. 

'85       Abnormal  coloration  in  a  caged  Robin 

Auk,  II.      1885.     P-  303 
Beckham,  C.  W. 

'85       Remarks  on  the  plumage  of  Regulus  calendula 

Proc.   U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  VIII.      1885.     pp.  625-628 
Reviewed  by  Allen,  J.  A.,  Auk,  III.      1886.     p.  268 
Beckham,  C.  W. 

'86       Changes  in  the  plumages  of  Geothlypis  trichas 

Auk,  III.      1886.      pp.  279,  280 
Beckham,  C.  W. 

'86       First  plumage  of  the  Summer  Tanager  {Piranga  rubra] 
Auk,  III.      1886.     p.  487 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  321 

Beckham,  C.  W. 

'87       Scarcity  of  adult  birds  in.autumn 
Auk,  IV.      1887.     pp.  79,  80 

Beddard,  F.  E. 

'92       Animal  coloration 

i2mo.      pp.  vii,  288.      London,  1892 

Reviewed  by  Allen,  J.  A.,  Auk,  X.     1893.     pp.  195-199 

Bicknell,  E.  P. 

'78       Evidences  of  the   Carolinian  fauna  in  the  Lower  Hudson 
valley.      Principally  from  observations  taken  at  Riverdale, 

N.  Y. 

Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  III.      1878.      pp.  128-132 

Birtwell,  F.  J. 

1900     The  occurrence  of  aptosochromatism  in  Passerina  cyanea 
Science,  n.  ser.,  XL      1900.      pp.  292-299 

Birtwell,  F.  J. 

1900       Aptosochromatism 

Pop.  Set.,  XXXIV.      1900.      pp.  64,  65 
Blyth,  E. 

'36       Observations  on  the  various  seasonal  and  other  external 
changes  which   regularly  take  place  in  birds,  more  particu- 
larly in  those  which  occur  in  Britain  ;  with  remarks  on  their 
great  importance  in  indicating  the  true  affinities  of  species  ; 
and  upon  the  natural  system  of  arrangement 
Loudori 's  Mag.    Nat.    Hist.,    IX.       1836.      pp.    393-409 
(continued  with  new  title),  pp.  505-514 
Blyth,  E. 

'37  On  the  reconciliation  of  certain  apparent  discrepancies  ob- 
servable in  the  mode  in  which  the  seasonal  and  progres- 
sive changes  of  colour  are  effected  in  the  fur  of  mammalians 
and  feathers  of  birds ;  with  various  observations  on  moult- 
ing 

Charleswortti 's    Mag.     Nat.   Hist.    (London),   I.      1837. 
pp.  259-263,  300-311 
Bock. 

'53       Ausfallen  der  Mauser  bei  einem  Vogel  \Emberiza  lapponica~\ 
in  der  Gefangenschaft 
Journ.  f.   Orn.,   I.      1853.      p.  207 
Bock. 

'53       Zu  der  Frage  iiber  die  Mauser  [bei  Emberiza  laponica~\ 

Journ.  f.   Orn.,  I.      1853.      p.  383 
ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.  XIII. ,  Oct.  31,  1900 — 21. 


322  DWIGHT 

Bogandow,  A. 

'56       Note  sur  le  pigment  des  plumes  d'oiseaux 

Bull.  Soc.  Imp,  Natur.  de  Moscou,  XXIX.  1856,  I.  pp. 
459-462 

[Abstract  with  title]  "  Die  Farbstoffe  in  den  Federn  (Mit 
Zusatz  von  Dr.  C.  Gloger)" 
Journ.  f.   Orn.,  VI.      1858.     pp.  311—315 

Bogandow,  A. 

'58  Etudes  sur  les  causes  de  la  coloration  des  oiseaux.  [Ab- 
stract. ] 

Compt.  rend,  de  V Acad.  des  Sci.  (Paris),  XLVI.  1858. 
pp.  780,  781 

Abstracting^,  et Mag.  de  ZooL,  X.  1858.  pp.  180,  181 
Noticed  by  Lubach,  D.,  Album  d.  Nat.  1858.  pp.  53,  54 
Noticed  by  Merkel,  E.,  Corresp.  d.  Naturf.  Ver.,  X. 
1858.  pp.  13,  14 

Bonaparte,  C.  L.  and  Schlegel,  H. 
'50       Monographic  des  Loxiens 

4to.  pp.  xvii,  55,  col'd.  pis.  54.  Leiden  et  Diisseldorf. 
1850 

Brehm,  C.  L. 

'53       Gegen  Schlegels  Meinung  liber  die  Verfarbung  des  Gefie- 
ders 
Journ.  f.  Orn.,  I.      1853.     pp.  347-351 

Brehm,  C.  L.* 

'57  Einige  Bemerkungen  iiber  Herrn  Schlegels  Sendschreiben 
an  die  im  Julius  1852  in  Altenberg  versammelten  deutschen 
Ornithologen  liber  den  Federwechsel  und  das  Sich-Ausfiir- 
ben  des  Gefieders 

Allgem.  deutsche  naturhist.  Zeitung,  III,  n.  f. .  1857.  pp. 
241-258,  281-296 

Brewster,  W. 

'78-79    Description  of  the  first  plumage  in  various  species  of  North 
American  birds 

Bull.  Nutt.  Om.  Club,  III.  1878.  pp.  15-23,  56-64, 
115-123,  175-182;  ibid.,  IV.  1879.  pp.  39-46 

Brewster,  W. 

'81       A  singular  cage  plumage  of  the  Rose-breasted  Grosbeak 
Bull.  Nutt.   Orn.   Club,  VI.     1881.     pp.  180 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  323 

Brewster,  W. 

'81  On  the  relationship  of  Helminthophaga  leucobronchialis 
Brewster,  and  Helminthophaga  lawrencei  Herrick  ;  with 
some  conjectures  respecting  certain  other  North  American 
birds 

Bull.  Nutt.   Orn.  Club,  VI.     1881.     pp.  218-225 
Brewster,  W. 

'82  Notes  on  some  birds  and  eggs  from  the  Magdalen  Islands, 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence 

Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  VII.     1882.    pp.    253-256 
Brewster,  W. 

'83       Ruby-crowned  Kinglet    \Regulus  calendula~\ 
Orn.  and  Oct.,  VIII.      1883.     p.  56 

Brewster,  W. 

'84       A  singular  specimen  of  the  Black-and-white  Creeper  \Mni- 
otilta  varia~] 
Auk,  I.      1884.     pp.  190-192 

Brewster,  W. 

'85       Swainson's  Warbler   \_Helinaia  swainsonii\ 
Auk,  II.      1885.     pp.  65-80 

Brewster,  W. 
''87       <  Scarcity  of  Adult  birds  in  Autumn.'      [Letter.] 

Auk,  IV.      1887.     PP.  268,  269 
Bronn,  H.  G-. 

'91-93    Klassen  und  Ordnungen  des  Thier-Reichs 
See  Gadow,  H.  and  Selenka,  E.,   '91-93 

Brooks,  W.  K. 
'74       A  feather 

Pop.  Sci.  Monthly,  IV.      1874.     pp.  686-694,  figs.  1-6 

Brown,  N.  0. 

'83       Immaturity  vs.  Individual  variation 

Bull.  Nutt.   Orn.   Club,  VIII.      1883.      pp.   46-48 

Brown,  N.  0. 

'83       Individual  variation  in  color  in  the  European  Crossbill 
Bull  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  VIII.      1883.     p.  121 

Bulley,  R.  H. 

'86       Immature  dress  of  Melospiza  palustris 
Auk,  III.      1886.      p.  277 

Butler,  A.  W. 

'93       Further  notes  on  the  Evening  Grosbeak 

Auk,  X.      1893.     pp.  155-157 


324  D  WIGHT 

Cabanis,  J. 

'47       Ornithologische  Notizen 

Wiegtnann's  Arch.  f.    Naturg.,  XIII,  i   Bd.       1847.     PP- 
186-256,  col'd  pis.  IV,  V;  and  pp.  308-352 

Cartwright,  G. 

1792       A  journal  of  transactions  and  events  during  a  residence  of 
nearly  sixteen  years  on  the  coast  of  Labrador 
3  vols.,  4to.      [See  Vol.  I,  p.  278.]      Newark,  1792 

Chadbourne,  A.  P. 

'97       The    spring    plumage    of   the  Bobolink   with  remarks  on 
'  Color-change  '  and  '  Moulting  ' 
Auk,  XIV.      1897.     pp.  137-149,  pi.  la. 

Chapman,  F.  M. 

'90       On  the    changes  of  plumage  in  the  Bobolink  {Dolichonyx 
oryzivorus) 

Auk,  VII.      1890.      pp.  120-124 
Chapman,  F.  M. 

'92       Preliminary  study  of  the  grackles  of  the  subgenus  Quiscalus 
Bull.  Amer.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  IV.     1892.     pp.  1-20,  map 
Chapman,  F.  M. 

'93       On  the  changes  of  plumage  in  the  Bobolink  {Dolichonyx 
oryzivorus} 

Auk,  X.    1893.     pp.  309-311,  pi.  VII 
C[hapman]  F.  M. 

'95       Dwight  on  the  Ipswich  Sparrow.      [Review.] 
Auk,  XII.     1895.     pp.  377,  378 
See  Dwight,  J.,  Jr.,  '95 
C[hapman],  F.  M. 

'96       The  structure  and  life  of  birds.      [Review.] 
Auk,  XIII.      1896.     pp.  68,  69 
See  Headley,  F.  W.,  '95 
Chapman,  F.  M. 

'96       On  the  changes  of  plumages  in  the  Snowflake  {Plectrophe- 
nax  niv alls'} 

Bull.  Amer.   Mus.   Nat.   Hist.,  VIII.      1896.      pp.  9-12. 
Figs,  i,  2 

Reviewed  by  Dwight,  J.,  Jr.   Auk,  XIII.      1896.     pp.  165, 
166 
Chapman,  F.  M. 

'97       Remarks  on  the  spring  moult  of  the  Bobolink 
Auk,  XIV.      1897.     pp.  149-154 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  325 

Chapman,  F.  M. 

'98       Notes  on  birds  observed  at    Jalapa  and  Las  Vigas,  Vera 
Cruz,  Mexico^ 

Bull.    Amer.    A/us.    Nat.    Hist.,  X.      1898.     pp.    15-43, 
pi.  Ill 

Chapman,  F.  M. 

'99       Report  on  birds  received  through  the  Peary  expeditions  to 
Greenland 

Bull.   Amer.    Mus.  Nat.   Hist.,   XII.      1899.      pp.    219— 
244,  figs.  1-8 

Clement,  C. 

'76       Note  sur  la  structure  microscopiq-ue  des  plumes 

Bull.  Soc.   zool.   de  France,  I.       1876.     pp.  282-286,  figs. 
1-6 

Cle'ment,  C.* 

'76       Sur  les  palettes  terminales  des  remiges  et  des  rectrices  du 
Jaseur  de  Boheme    \_Ampelis  garrulus~\ 
Bull.  Soc.  a"1  etude  sci.  nat.  de  Nimes,  IV.      1876.     pp.  95, 

96 

Cle'ment,  C.* 

'77       La  couleur  des  plumes 

Bull.  Soc.  a"1  etudes  sci.  nat.  de  Nimes,  V.      1877.     pp.  51 
-56,  pi.  I 

C[ope,  E.  D.] 

Evolution  of  the    colors  of  North  American    land  birds 

[Review.] 

Amer.  Nat.,  XXVII.      1893.     pp.  547-549 

See  Keeler,  C.  H.,  '93 

Coues,  E. 

'72       Key  to  North  American  birds.  Roy.   8vo 

ist  edition  Boston.  1872 

2nd        "     "  1884 

3d          "     "  1887 

4th         "     "  1890 

[Coues,  E.] 

'75       [Stieda's  Ban  der  rothen  Blattchen  des  Seidenschwanzes] 
[Notice.] 

New  York  Independent,  XXVII.      Aug.  1 2th,  1875.     P-  8 
See  Stieda,  L.,  '72 


326  DWIGHT 

Coues,  E. 

'76       On  the  number  of  primaries  in  Oscines 

Bull.  Nutt.   Orn.  Club,  I.      1876.      pp.  60-63 

Coues,  E. 

'78       Pipilo  erythrophthalmus  with  spotted  scapulars 

Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  III.      1878.     pp.  41,  42 

Coues,  E. 

'78       Melanism  of  Turdus  migratorius 

Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  III.      1878.     pp.  47,  48 

Coues,  E. 

'83       Note  on   ' l  Passerculus  caboti ' '    [Melospiza  palustris~\ 
Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  VIII.      1883.      p.  58 

Coues,  E. 

'83       Susceptibility  of  a  bird  to  color 

Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.   Club,  VIII.      1883.      p.  181 

Coues,  E. 

'90       Handbook  of  field  and  general  ornithology.      8vo.     pp. 
343,  illus.     London,  1890 

Coues,  E. 

'95  Gatke's  Heligoland.  [Review.] 
Auk,  XII.  1895.  pp.  322—346 
See  Gatke,  H.,  '95 

C[oues],  E. 

'97       Newton's  dictionary  of  birds.     Part  IV.      [Review.] 
Auk,  XIV.      1897.     pp.  234-244 
See  Newton,  A.,  and  Gadow,  H.,  '93-96 

Cuvier,  F. 

'25       Observations    sur   la   structure    et    le  developpement   des 

plumes 

Mem.   du  Museum,   XIII.      1825.     pp.    327-368    (pi.    i) 

Ann.  des  Set.  nat.,  ser.  i,  IX.'    1826.     pp.  113-154,  pi.  44 

[Reprint.] 

Froriep"1  s   Notize,   XV.      1826.       no.    317.     pp.    131—138 

no.  318.     pp.  145-154 

Reviewed  in  Feruss.  Bull.  Sci.  nat.,  X.      1827.     pp.  398 

399 
Dallas,  W. 

On  the  various  modes  of  coloration  of  feathers.      [Trans- 
lation.] 

See  Fatio,  V.,  '66 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  327 

Davies,  H.  R. 

'88       Beitrag  zug  Entwickelungsgeschichte  der  Feder,  Vorlaufige 
Mittheilung 
Morph.  Jahrb.  (Leipzig),  XIV.      1888.     pp.  369-371 

Davies,  H.  R. 

'89       Die  Entwickelung  der  Feder  und  ihre  Beziehungen  zu  an- 
deren  Integumentgebilden 

Morph.  Jahrb.  (Leipzig),  XV.    1889.     pp.   560—645,  pis. 
XXIII-XXVI 

Deane,  R. 

'76       Albinism  and  melanism  among  North  American  birds 
Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  I.     1876.      pp.  20-24 

Doebner.* 

'65       Ueber  die  Farbenveranderungen  der  Saugethiere  und  Vogel 
namentlich  in  Weiss  und  Schwarz 
Zool.  Gart.,  VI.      1865.      pp.  3-12 

Dresser,  H.  E. 

'79       On  the  change  of  colour  in  birds,  etc.      [Translation.] 
See  Meves,  W.,  '55 

Dutrochet,  R.  J.  H.* 

'19       De  la  structure  et  la  regeneration  des  plumes 

Journ.  de  Physique,  LXXXVIII.      1819.     p.  333 

Dwight,  J.,  Jr. 

'87       A  new  race  of  the  Sharp-tailed  Sparrow     {Ammodramus 
caud&cutus} 

Auk,  IV.      1887.     pp.  232-239 

Dwight,  J.,  Jr. 

'90       The  Horned  Larks  of  North  America 
Auk,  VII.      1890.     pp.  138-158,  map 

Dwight,  J.,  Jr. 

'95       The  Ipswich  Sparrow   {Ammodramus  princeps  Maynard) 
and  its  summer  home 

Memoir  No.  II,  Nutt.  Orn.  Club.    1895.   pp.  1-56,  col'd. 
pi. 

D[wight],J.,Jr. 

'96       Chapman  on  the  plumage  of  the  Snowflake.      [Review.] 
Auk,  XIII.      1896.     pp.  165,  166 
See  Chapman,  F.  M.,  '96 


328  DWIGHT 

D[wight],  J.,  Jr. 

'96       Allen  on  alleged  changes  of  color  in  the  feathers  of  birds 
without  moulting.      [Review.] 
Auk,  XIII.      1896.     pp,  166,  167 
See  Allen,  J.  A.,  '96 
Dwight,  J.,  Jr. 

'97       A  study  of  the  Philadelphia  Vireo  (  Vireo philadelphicus) 

Auk,  XIV.      1897.     pp.  259-272,  col'd  pi.  II 
Dwight,  J.,  Jr. 

'99       Sequence  of  plumages  ;   illustrated  by  the  Myrtle  Warbler 
{Dendroica    coronata}     and     the    Yellow-breasted    Chat 
{Icteria  virens) 
Auk,  XVI.      1899.     pp.  217-220,  col'd  pi.  Ill 

Dwight,  J.,  Jr. 

1900     The  plumages  and  moults  of  the  Indigo  Bunting  (JPasserina 
cyanea) 
Science,  n.  ser.,  XI.     Apr.  20,  1900.      pp.  627-630 

Engel,  J. 

'56       Ueber  Stellung  und  Entwicklung  der  Federn 

Sitzungsber.  d.  Kaiser  I.  Akad.  d.  Wissensch.  Math.- 
naturwiss.  Classe  (Wien),  XXII.  1856.  pp.  376-393, 
pis.  I-V 

Everett,  A.  H.* 

'66       Die  Farbung  des  Vogelgefieders 

Aus  der  Natur^\yi\&,  XXXVI  (n.  f.  XXIV).  1866. 
pp.  410-414 

Everett,  A.  H.* 

'77       Farbenanderungen 

Ornith.   CentralbL   (Leipzig),  II.      1877.     p.  125 

Fatio,  V. 

'66       Des  diverses  modifications  dans  les  formes  et  la  coloration 
des  plumes 

Mem.  Soc.  de  phys.  et  d1  hist.  nat.  de  Geneve,  XVIII,  pt.  2. 
1866.  pp.  249-308,  col'd  pis.  I-III 

[Prelim,  extract]  Archives  des  sci.  phys.  et  nat.  (Geneve), 
nouv.  periodeXXV.  1866.  pp.  244-254.  English  transla- 
tion by  W.  S.  Dallas  in  Ann.  and  Mag.  Nat. Hist.,  3d  ser., 
XVII.  1866.  pp.  361-367 

[Extract]  Act.  Soc.  helvet.  de  sci.  nat.,  5oe  sess.  (Neucha- 
tel).  1866.  pp.  95-98 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  329 

Reviewed  in  Intellectual  Observer,   X.      1867.     pp.    377— 
386;   ibid.,    XI.     1867.     pp.  172-175 

Ficalbi,  E  * 

'90       Sulla  architettura  istologica  di  alcuni  peli  degli  uccelli  con 
considerazioni  sulla  filogenia  dei  peli  e  delle  penne 
Atti  Soc.  Toscana  di  sci.  nat.  (Pisa),  XL      1890.     pp.  227 

Fleming,  J. 

'17       Hibernation  of  animals 

Edinb.   Encydop.  (Brewster),  XI.      1817.      p.  388 

Fleming,  J. 

'20       On  the  changes  of  colour  in  the  feathers  of  birds  indepen- 
dent of  moulting.      (With  note  by  Professor  Jameson  ap- 
pended. ) 
Edinburgh  Philos,  Journ, ,  II.      1820.      pp.  271-276 

Frauenfeld,  G.  von 

'53       Ueber  Farbenveranderung  bei  Vogeln 

Verhandl.  d.  zool.  -  botan.  Vereins  in  Wien,  III.      1853.     pp. 
36-45 
Frauenfeld,  G.  von* 

'73       Ueber  Farbenveranderungen  [bei  Vogeln] 

Gefied.     Welt  (Berlin),   II.      1873.     pp.  88,   89,  98,    99, 
116,    117 

Fiirbringer,  M. 

'88  Untersuchungen  zur  Morphologic  und  Systematik  der 
Vogel,  zugleich  ein  Beitrag  z*ur  Anatomic  der  Stlitz-  und 
Bewegungsorgane 

2  vols.,  4to.   Amsterdam.     1888.     pp.   xlix.    1751.      pis. 
XXX.      [Federn.     pp.  1006-1014] 

Gadow,  H. 

'82       On  the  colour  of  feathers  as  affected  by  their  structure 

Proc.    Zool.    Soc.     [London]     1882.     pp.   409-421,    pis. 
XXVII,  XXVIII 

'83       [French  translation  by  H.  G.  de  Kerville.]*     Sur  la  struc- 
ture des  plumes  et  de  ses  rapports  avec  leur  coloration 
Bull.  Soc.  amis  des  sci.  nat.  de  Rouen,  XIX.      1883. 

Gadow,  H. 

'88       Remarks  on  the  numbers  and  on  the  phylogenetic  develop- 
ment of  the  remiges  of  birds 
Proc.  Zool.  Soc.      [London]     1888.      pp.  655-667 


330  DWIGHT 

Gadow,  H.  and  Selenka,  E. 

'91-93  Dr.    H.    C.   Bronn's  Klassen  und  Ordnungen  des  Thier- 
Reichs.      Sechster  Band,  Vierte  Abtheilung.     Vogel 

I.  Anatomische  Theil,  Leipzig.    1891.     pp.  1008,  pis.  LIX 

II.  Systematische  Theil,  Leipzig.     1893.     pp.  vii,  303  -fi 
[Federn,  II  Theil.     pp.  521-588] 

Gardiner,  E.  G. 

'84       Beitrage  zur  Kentniss  des  Epitrichiums  und  der  Bildung 
des  Vogelschnabels 

Archiv,  f.   mikros.  Anat.,    XXIV.      1884.      PP-    289-338, 
pis.  XVII  and  XVIII 
Also  Inang.  -Diss. ,   Leipzig.      1884 

Gatke,H. 

'54       Einige  Beobachtungen    uber  Farbenwechsel  durch    Um- 
farbung  ohne  Mauser 
Journ.  f.   Orn.,  II.      1854.      pp.  321-327 

Gatke,  H.* 

'60       Ueber  Umfarbung  von  Vogeln 

Bericht  liber  der  XIII  Vers.  der  deutsch.   Orn.   Ges.  (Stutt- 
gart).     1860.     pp.  63-65 

Gatke,  H. 

'91       Die  Vogel warte  Helgoland .      [R.  Blasius,  editor.]      8vo. 

pp.  609.      Braunschweig.      1891 
'95       [English  translation] ,    ' '  Heligoland  as  an  ornithological 

observatory."      Edinburgh.      1895 

Reviewed  by  Coues,  E.     Auk,  XII.     1895.     pp.  322-346 

Reviewed  by  Allen,  J.  A.     Auk,  XIII.      1896.     pp.  137- 

153 

Reviewed  in  Ibis,  7th  ser.,  II.      1896.     pp.  141-143 
'99       [Second  edition  in  press.] 

Geoffrey  Saint  Hilaire,  I. 

'41       Ueber  die  Mauser  der  Vogel  und  insbesondere  liber  Weib- 
chen  mit  mannlichem  Gefieder 

Froriep' 's  Neue  Notizen  aus  d.   Gebiete  d.  Natur-  u.    Heil- 
kund.      (Erfuth  u.    Weimar),  XX.      1841.      2d   ser.,   no. 
PP-  42i,  33-39;   no-  422,  pp.  49-53 
Gerbe,  Z. 

'77       Sur  les  plumes  du  vol  et  leur  mue 

Bull.  Soc.  zool.  de  France,  II.     1877.     pp.  289-291 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW   YORK  331 

Gloger,  C.  W.  L. 

'53       Andeutung  fur  die  Physiologen  in  Betreff  der  Verfarbung 
des  Gefieders 
Journ.  f.   Orn.,  I.      1853.      p.   212 

Gloger,  C.  W.  L. 

'53       Zur  Erklarung  der  Verfarbung  des  Gefieders 

Journ.  f.   Orn.,  I.      1853.      p.p   268-276 
Gloger,  C.  W.  L. 

[Bock's]  ' '  Zu  der  Frage  tiber  die  Mauser  ' ' 
Journ.  f.   Orn.,  I.      1853.      p.  451. 

Gloger,  C.  W.  L. 

'54       Einiges  Weitere  liber  das  Umfarben  des  Gefieders 
Journ.  f.   Orn.,  II.      1854.      pp. 3 12-31 7 

Gloger,  C.  W.  L. 

'61  Richtige  Ansicht  eines  nordischen  Zoologen  iiber  die  Farbung 
der  mannlichen  Kreuzschnabel 
Journ.  f.   Orn.,  IX.      1861.      p.  78 
Goodchild,  J.  G. 

'86       Observations  on  the  disposition  of  the  cubital  coverts  in 
birds 

Proc.    Zool.    Soc.    (London).      1886.     pp.    184-203,    37 
illustrations 

Gredler,  V.  * 

'73       Ueber  Farben-Abanderungen  bei  Vogeln,  zumal  Albinis- 
mus  und  Melanismus 

ZooL    Gart.  (Frankfurt-a.-M.),  XIV.      1873.     PP-  74»  75 
Hadfield,  H. 

'62       Of  the  change  of  plumage  in  the  Crossbills  and  Pine  Gros- 
beak 
Zoologist,  XX.      1862.      pp.  8033,  8034 

Haecker,  V. 

'90       Ueber  die  Farben  der  Vogelfedern 

Arch.  f.  mikros.  Anat.,  XXXV.     1890.     pp.  68-87,  col'd 
pi.  IV.      [Reprint,  pp.  1-23.] 

Harting,  P. 

'66       Veranderingen  in  de  kleuren  der  vederen  van  de  vogels 

Album  der  Natuur  (Haarlem).      1866.      p.  42 

Headley,  F.  W. 

'95       The  structure  and  life  of  birds 

8vo,  pp.  xx,  412,  illus.      London.      1895. 


332  DWIGHT 

Reviewed    by    Chapman,     F.     M.      Auk.,    XIII.      1896. 
pp.    68,  69 

Heinroth  * 

'98       Mauser  und  Verfarbung  des  Federkleides  der  Vogel 

Sitzungsber.  Gesell.  Naturf.  Freunde  (Berlin)     1898.     no. 
i.     pp.  9-15. 

Henshaw,  H.  W. 

'84       The  Shore  Larks  of  the  United  States  and  adjacent  territory 
Auk,  I.      1884.     pp.  254-268 

Holland,  T. 

'60       Zur  Entwickelungsgeschichte  der  Federn 

Journ.  f.   Orn.,  VIII.     1860.    pp.  341-347,  432-441,  pi.  I 

Holland,  T. 

'63       Pterologische  Untersuchungen 

Inaug.-Diss.    Philos.    (Greifswald).       1863.     pp.   1-40?; 
also  Journ.  f.    Orn.,  XII.      1864.      pp.  194-217 

Homeyer,  E.  F.  von 

'53       Ueber  den  Federwechsel  der  Vogel ;    mit  Rlicksicht  auf 
H.  Schlegels  Sendschreiben  an  die  Ornithologen-Versamm- 
lung  zu  Altenburg. 
Naumannia.      1853.      pp.  64-78 

Homeyer,  E.  F.  von 

'55       Ein  ferneres  Wort  iiber  das  Ausfarben 

Journ.  f.   Orn.,  III.      1855.      pp.  113-117 

Homeyer,  E.  F.  von 

'56       Noch  ein  Wort  iiber  die  Verfarbung 

Journ.  f.  Orn.,  IV.      1856.      pp.  129-132 
Howe,  R.  H.,  Jr. 

'96       Abnormal  plumage  of  a  Pine  Grosbeak  \_Pinicola  enucleator~\ 
Auk,  XIII.      1896.     p.  176 

Hoxie,  W. 

'86       Aptoso-Chromatism 

Orn.  and  OoL,  XI.      1886.      pp.  49,  50 

Reviewed  by  Allen,   J.   A.,  Auk,  III.      1886.     pp.    413, 

414 
Jacquemin,  E. 

'36       De  1'ordre  suivant  lequel  les  plumes  sont  disposees  sur  le 

corp  de  1'oiseau 

Compt.   rend,  de  r Acad.  des  Sciences  (Paris).      1836.      p. 

374 


PASSERINE    BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  333 

Jeffries,  J.  A. 

'81       On  the  number  of  primaries  in  birds 

Bull.  Nutt.   Orn.  Club,  VI.      1881.      pp.  156-163 
Jeffries,  J.  A. 

'82      Krukenberg  on  the  coloring  matter  of  feathers.     [Review.] 
Bull.  Nutt.    Orn.  Club,  VII,  1882.      pp.    114,    115,    177, 
178. 
See  Krukenberg,  C.  F.  W.,  '81-82. 

Jeffries,  J.  A. 

'82       The  colors  of  feathers 

Bull.  Nutt.   Orn.  Club,  VII.      1882.      pp.   126-135,  pi.  7 
[=pl.  i] 

Jeffries,  J.  A. 

'83       The  epidermal  system  of  birds 

Proc.  Boston.   Soc.  Nat.   Hist.,  XXII.      1883.      pp.  203- 

241 

Reviewed  by  Allen,  J.  A.,  Auk,  I.      1884.      pp.  182,  183 

Jeffries,  W.  A. 

'79       sEgiothus  exilipes  in  Massachusetts 

Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  IV.      1879.      p.  121 
Jencks,  F.  T. 

'83       [Crest  of]    Ruby-crowned  Kinglet 

Orn.  and  OoL,  VIII.      1883.      p.  44 
[Jencks,  F.  T.] 
'84-'85    Color  of  birds'  eyes 

Random    Notes   on    Natural  History,   I.      1884.      No.    i, 
p.  i  ;   No.    2,   p.    i  ;   No.   4,  p.   6  ;   No.    6,  p.  3  ;  ibid.  II 
1885.     No.  7,  p.  56;  No,  8,  p.  64;  No.  10,  p.  75 
Jones,  L. 

'97       The  Oberlin  [Ohio]  Summer  Crackle  \_Quiscalus  quiscula 
ceneus\  Roost 

Wilson     Orn.     Chapt.    Agassiz    Assoc.    Bull.       No.     15. 
1897.     pp.  37-56,  2  maps 

Keeler,  C.  H. 

'93       Evolution  of  the  colors  of  North  American  land  birds 
Cala.  Acad.  Sci.,   Occasional  Paper,  No.  3.      (San   Fran- 
cisco.)     1893.      PP-  i-xii,  1-361,  col'd  pis.   19 
Reviewed  by  Allen,  J.  A.,   Auk,   X.      1893.     pp.    189- 


334  DWIGHT 

Reviewed  by  Cope,  E.  D.,  Amer.  Nat.,  XXVII.  1893. 
PP-  547-549 

Keeler,  C.  H. 

'93       The    evolution    of  the    colors    of  North    American    land 
birds — a  reply  to  criticism.      [Letter.] 
Auk,  X.      1893.     pp.  373-377 

Keibel,  F. 

'96       Otogenie  und  Phylogenie  von  Haar  und  Feder 

Ergebnisse  d.  Anat.  u.  Entwickl.  (Merkel  u.  Bonnet.) 
Wiesbaden,  V  (for  1895).  1896.  pp.  619-719,  figs. 
i-73 

Kerbert,  C. 

Ueber  die  Haut  der  Reptilien  und  andere  Wirbelthiere 
Archiv.  f.    mikros.   Anat.,   XIII.      1877.      pp.     205-262, 
pis.   XVIII-XX 

Kerville,  H.  G-.  de 

'83       Sur  la  structure  des  plumes,  etc.      [Translation.] 
See  Gadow,  H.,  '82 

Kingsley,  J.  S. 

'97       Hair  and  feathers 

Am.  Nat.,  XXXI.      1897.     pp.  767-777,   figs.  1-14 
Reviewed  by  Allen,  J.  A.,  Auk,  XV.      1898.     p.  207 

Klee,  R. 

'86       Bau  und  Entwickelung  der  Feder 

Zeitschr.    f.    Naturwiss.     (Halle),     4th     ser.,    V(LIX). 
1886.     pp.  110-156,  pis.  3  and  4  (folded) 
Also  Inaug.-Diss.  Halle.      1886.      3  leaves,  pp.  1-47,  pis. 
3  and  4  (folded) 

Knight,  0.  W. 

'96       The  Pine  Grosbeak  in  captivity 
Auk.,  XIII.      1896.     pp.  21-24 

Kolliker,  A. 

'87      Ueber  die  Entstehung  des  Pigmentes  in  den   Oberhautge- 
bilden 

Zeitschr.  f.  wiss.  Zoo  I.,  XLV.  1887.  pp.  713-720, 
pis.  XXXVII  and  XXXVIII  (Vogel,  fig.  14-16) 

Krukenberg,  C.  F.  W. 
'81-'82    Die  Farbstoffe  der  Federn.      Erste  [-Vierte]  Mittheilung 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  335 

Vergleichend-physiol.  Studten  (Heidelberg).  I  Reihe,  V 
Abth.  1881.  pp.  72-99,  pi.  Ill:  II  Reihe,  I  Abth. 
1882.  pp.  151-171;  II  Abth.  1882.  pp.  1-42 ;  III 
Abth.  1882.  pp.  128-137 

Reviewed  by  Jeffries,  J.  A.  Bull.  N.  O.  C.,  VII.  1882. 
pp.  114,  176. 

Landois,  H. 

'88       Das  Dunennestkleid  der  Vogel  besteht  nicht  aus  Dunen 
Zool.  Anzeiger  (Leipzig),  XI.      1888.     p.  703 

Langdon,  F.  W. 

'79       The  White-rumped  and  Loggerhead  Shrikes  in  Ohio 
Bull.  Nutt.   Orn.  Club,  IV.      1879.      p.  120 

Lescuyer,  F. 

'83       Considerations  sur  la  forme  et  la  coloration  des  oiseaux 

Trav.    de   FA  cad.     Nat.    de   Rheims,    LXXI.      1881-82. 
(1883.)     pp.  1-52  and  index 
Leverkiirm,  P. 

'90       Ueber  Farbenvarietaten  bei  Vogeln 

Journ.f.   Orn.,  XXXVIII.      1890.      pp.  168-232 

Loomis,  L.  M. 

'93       Notes  on    the  plumage   of  some  birds  from  upper  South 
Carolina 
Auk,  X.      1893.     pp.  151-155 

Lubach,  D. 

Kleuren  der  vogelvederen.      [Notice.] 

Album  der  Natuur,   Haarlem.      1858.     pp.  53,  54 

See  Bogdanow,  A.,  '58 

Me  Callum,  G.  A. 

'85        [Possible  causes  of]  Albinism 

Auk,  II.      1885.      pp.  113,  114 
Me  Cormick,  L.  M. 

'93       A  Hybrid  Tanager  \Piranga  rubra  +  P-  erythromelas\ 

Auk,  X.      1893.     pp.  302,  303 

Martin,  L. 

'53  Zur  Verfarbung  des  Gefieders,  namentlich  bei  Anas  nigra 
Journ.f.  Orn.,  I.  1853.  pp.  208—212 

Maurer,  F. 

'92  Haut-Sinnesorgane,  Feder-  und  Haaranlagen,  und  deren 
gegenseitige  Beziehungen,  eine  Beitrag  zur  Phylogenie  der 
Saugethierehaare. 


338  DWIGHT 

Newton,  A.  and  Gadow,  H. 

'93-'96  A  dictionary  of  birds.      [Part  I,    1893;    Part  II,    1893; 
Part  III,  1894;  Part  IV,  1896] 
8vo.     London,     pp.  xii,  124  and  1088,  illus. 
Reviewed  by  Allen,  J.  A.,  Auk,  X.      1893.     pp.    357- 
360;    do,    XI.       1894.       pp.    56-60;    do.   XII.      1895. 
pp.  169,  170,  and  Coues,  E.,  XIV.      1897.     pp.  234-244 
'99       A  dictionary  of  birds  .   .   .   Cheap  issue,  unabridged  [2nd 
ed.],  New  York 
Reviewed  by  Allen,  J.  A.,  Auk,  XVII.      1900.     p.  77 

Nitzsch,  0.  L. 

'33       Pterylographia  Avium 

4to.,  Halse.      1833 
Nitzsch,  C.  L. 

'40       System  der  Pterylographie  .   .   .   mit  einem  wichtigen  Zu- 
satze  .   .   .  von  Hermann  Bauermeister 
4to.,  Halle.      1840 

'67     [English  translation  by  P.  L.  Sclater  (Ray  Society  reprint)] 
Nitzsch' s   Pterylography.      4to.      pp.    x,    181,   pis.    i-x. 
London.      1867 
Ord,  G. 

'30       Some  observations  on  the  moulting  of  birds 

Trans.    Amer.   Philos.   Soc.,    new   ser.,  III.      1830.     pp. 
292-299 

Pahnen,  J.  A. 

'80       [Russian  title — "  The  Periodical  Changes  and  Homologies 
in  the  Dress  of  Birds"] 

' '  Proc.   Zool.   Section  of  6th   Congress  of  Russian  Natur- 
alists and  Physicians.      1880.      part  II.     pp.  102,  103  " 
Reviewed  in  Zool.  Ameiger,  III.      1880.     pp.  237-239 
Palmer,  W. 

'94       Plumages  of  the  young  Hooded  Warbler 

Auk,  XI.      1894.     pp.  282-291,  figs.  1-4 
P [aimer].  W. 

'96       Stone  on  the  molting  of  birds.      [Review] 
Auk,  XIII.      1896.     pp.  240-243 
See  Stone,  W.,  '96 
Palmer,  W. 

'98       Our  small  Eastern  Shrikes 

Auk,  XV.      1898.     pp.  244-258 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  339 

Palmer,  W. 

'99       The  avifauna  of  the  Pribilof  Islands 

' '  The  Fur  Seals  and  Fur  Seal  Islands  of  the  North 
Pacific  Ocean"  1899.  pt.  III.  pp.  355-431,  pis. 
XXXVIII-XLI 

Peck,  E.  M. 
1900       The  Plumage  of  the  Blue  Jay  (  Cyanocitta  cristata} 

Western  Ornith.,  V.  1900.  pp.  1-6,  28-33,  48—52. 
[Not  yet  concluded] 

Pelzen,  A.  von 

'65       Ueber  Farbenabanderung  bei  Vogeln 

Verhandl.  d.  kais.-konigl.  zoo  I. -dot.  Gesell.  (Wien),  XV. 
1865.  pp.  911-946 

Pernitza,  E. 

'71  Bau  und  Entwicklung  des  Erstlingsgefieders  beobachtet 
am  Hiihnchen 

Sitzungsber.  d.  Kais.  Akad.  d.  Wissensch.  {Math.-natur- 
wiss.  Classe^),  LXIII,  2  pt.  1871.  pp.  439-449,  pi.  I. 

Porter,  L.  H. 

'92       Abnormal  Plumage  of  Habia  ludoviciana 
'Auk,  IX.      1892.      p.  302" 

abl,  H. 

'97  Pigment  und  Pigmentzellen  in  der  Haut  der  Wirbeltiere. 
Ergebnisse  d.  Anat.  u.  Entwickl.  (Merkel  u.  Bonnet), 
Wiesbaden,  V  (for  1896).  1897.  pp.  439-470 

Rathbun,  S.  F.,  and  Wright,  F.  S. 

'79       Hooded  Warbler  in  Western  New  York 

Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  IV.     1879.     pp.  116-117 

Reichenbach,  L. 

'55  [Bemerkungen  iiber  Herr  Altum's  "Ueber  den  Ban  der 
Feder  als  Grund  ihrer  Farbung.  Ein  Beitrag  zur  Pterolo- 

gie"] 

Joiirn. f.  Orn.,  II.    1854.    VI  Heft,  no.    12,  Erinnerungs- 

schrift.     1855.     pp.  n,  12 

Renshaw,  G. 

'98       Experiments  on  the  Colours  of  the  Nonpareil  Finch  (Cy- 
anospiza  ciris} 
Zoologist,  4th  ser.,  II.      1898.     p.  23 

Ridgway,  R. 

'80       Late  breeding  of  the  Blue  Grosbeak  {Guiraca  ccerulea*) 
Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  V.      1880.     p.  53 


340  DWIGHT 

Ridgway,  R. 

'86       On    two    abnormally  colored    specimens  of  the  Bluebird 

(Sialia  sialis) 

Auk,  III.      1886.     pp.  282,  283 
Ridgway,  R. 

'86       A  nomenclature  of  colors  for  naturalists  and  compendium 
of  useful  knowledge  for  ornithologists 
i2mo.     pp.    128,    pis.    I-XVII,    (I-X    col'd),    Boston. 
1886 

Ridgway,  R. 

'90       A  yellow-crowned  Reguliis  calendula 
Auk,  VII.      1890.      p.  292 

Riidiger,  E.* 

'78       Farbenwechsel  der  Vogel 

Gefied.  Welt,  VII.      1878.      pp.   475~477 

Russ,  K.* 

'99       Die  Fremdlandischen  Stubenvogel 

4  vols.      1899 
Samuel,  8. 

'70       Die  Regeneration  [der  Federn] 

Arch.  f.  path.  Anat.  (Berlin),  L.  (4  F,  X).      1870.      pp. 
323-354 
Sauermann,  C. 

'89       Ueber  die  Wirkung  organischer  Farbstoffe  auf  das  Gefieder 
der  Vogel  bei  stomachaler  Darreichung 
Arch.  /.   Anat.  u.  Phys.  (Phys.  Abth.}  (Leipzig).      1889. 
PP-  543-549 
Sauermann,  C.* 

'90       Unter  welchen  Bedingungen  werden  organische  Farben  bei 
der  Fiitterung  in  das  Gefieder  der  Vogel  angenommen  ? 
Ornith.   Verein  (Wien. ).      1890.     pp.  76,  92 
Schlegel,  H. 

'52       Sendschreiben   an    die   am  6  Julius    1852    zu    Altenburg 
versammelten  Naturforscher 
Naumannia,  II,  Heft  2.      1852.      pp.  19-40 
Schlegel,  H. 

'53       Over  den  groei  en  de  kleurveranderingen  der  vederen  van 
de  vogels 

Verschlag.    en    Meded.    d.    Kon.    Akad.      Amsterdam,    I. 
l853-     PP-  329-345 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF  NEW   YORK  341 

Schlegel,  H. 

'55        [Ueber  meine  Verfarbungstheorie] 
Naumannia.      1855.     pp.  249-251 

Schrenk,  G. 

'48       De  formatione  pennae. 

Diss.  inaug.     4to.     pp.    32  +  i,   pi.   I.      Dorpati  Li  von - 
orum.      1848.      [Also  Mitaviae.      1846] 

Schroeder,  J.* 

'77       Erfahrungen  bezuglich  des  Farbenriickschlages 

Blatter  f.  Geflugelzucht,  XI.      1877.     pp.  39-40 

Schroeder,  R. 

'80       Pterographische  Untersuchungen 

Diss. -inaug.      8vo.     pp.  36.      Halis  saxonum.      1880 

Sclater,  P.  L. 

Nitzsch's  Pterylography 
See  Nitzsch,  C.  L.,  '67 

Scott,  W.  E.  D. 

'79       Late  fall  and  winter  notes  on  some  birds  observed  in  the 
vicinity  of  Princeton,  N.  J.,  1878-79 
Bull.  Nutt.   Orn.  Club,  IV.      1879.     pp.   81-85 

Selenka,     . 
'91-'93    See  Gadow,  H.  and  Selenka,  E.,  '91-93 

Severtzov,  N. 

'63  Microskopische  Untersuchungen  iiber  die  Verfarbung  der 
Federn  zum  Hochzeitskleide  bei  einigen  Vogeln,  nebst 
Betrachtungen  liber  das  Verhaltniss  derselben  zur  Mauser 
Bull,  de  VAcad.  imp.  des  Sci.  de  St.  Petersburg,  VI.  1863. 

PP-  330-346 

[Reprint  in]    Melanges    biologique,  IV.      1861-65,    1865. 

pp.  3*1-334 

Seydel,  0. 

'96  [Review  of  Maurer's]  Die  Epidermis  und  ihre  Abkomm- 
linge 

Morph.  Jahrb.,  XXIV.      1896.     pp.  356-358 
See  Maurer,  F.,  '95 

Sharpe,  R.  B.  and  Wyatt,  C.  W. 

'85-'94   A  monograph  of  the  Hirundinidae  or  Family  of  Swallows 
2  vols.     4to.     London.      1885-1894 


336  DWIGHT 

Morph.  Jahrb.,  XVIII.      1892.     pp.  717-804,  pis.  XXIV- 
XXVII,  2  figs,  in  text 

Maurer,  F. 

'95       Die  Epidermis  und  ihre  Abkommlinge 

4to.     pp.   i-ix,    1-352,   pis.   9,  figs,  in  text  28.      Leipzig, 


Reviewed  by  Seydel,  O.,  '96 

Mearns,  E.  A. 

'78       A  description  of  unusually  developed  individuals  of  three 
species,   and  remarks  on  uncommon  plumages  in  several 
others,  taken  near  West  Point,  N.  Y. 
Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  III.      1878.      pp.  69-72 

Mearns,  E.  A. 

'78-'81  A  list  of  the  birds  of  the  Hudson  Highlands  with  annotations 
Bull.  Essex  Inst.,  X.  1878.  pp.  166-179;  ^id-  XI- 
1879.  pp.  43-52,  154-167,  189-204;  ibid.  XII.  1880. 
pp.  11-25,  109-128;  ibid.  XIII.  1881.  pp.  75-93;  also 
Addendum,  Auk,  VII.  1890.  pp.  55,  56 

Mearns,  E.  A. 

'79       Notes  on  some  of  the  less   hardy  winter  residents  in  the 
Hudson  River  Valley 

Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  IV.      1879.      PP-  33~37 
Meckel,  A. 

'15       Ueber  die  Federbildung 

Arch.   /.    d.   PhysioL     (Reil  u.   Autenrieth,    Halle)    XII. 
I8l5-     PP-  37-96,  pi.  3 
Megnin,  P.  (ed.  M.  Reichenow)* 

'80       Das  Ausfallen  der  Federn  bei  Vogeln 

Ornith.   CentralbL,  V.      1880.      pp.  99-100 
Meijere,  J.  C.  H.  de 

'95       Ueber  die  Federn  der  Vogel,  insbesondere  iiber  ihre  Anord- 
nung 

Morph.  Jahrb.  (Leipzig),  XXIII.      1895.      PP-  562-S9I» 
figs.  1-20 
Merkel,  E. 

'58       Das  Pigment  der  Vogelfedern 

Correspondenzblatt  des  Naturf.    Ver.    (Riga),    X.      1858. 

PP-  13,  H 

See  Bogdanow,  A.,  '58 


PASSERINE   BIRDS  OF  NEW  YORK  337 

Meves,  W. 

'55       Om  fargforandringen  hos  foglarna  genom  och  utan  rug- 

gning 

Oefvers.    Kon.     Vet.-Akad.    Forhandl.    (Stockholm),    XI 

(for  1854).      1855.      pp.  258-266,  col'd  pis.  Ill,  IV 
'55       [German   translation]     Ueber    die    Farbenanderung    der 

Vogel  durch  und  ohne  Mauser 

Journ.   f.  Orn.,  III.      1855.     pp.    230-238,   col'd   pis.    i 

and  2 
'79       [English  translation  by  H.  E.  Dresser.]     On  the  change  of 

colour  in  birds  through  and  irrespective  of  moulting 

Zoologist,  3rd  ser.,    III.     1879.     pp.   81-89,  col'd  pis.    i 

and  2 

Merriam,  C.  H. 

'77       A  review  of  the  birds  of  Connecticut,  with  remarks    on 
their  habits 
Trans.  Conn.  Acad.,  IV.      1887.     pp.  1-165  ~f~  I 

Miller,  G.  S.,  Jr. 

'97       Some  abnormal  color  markings  [of  several  North  Amer- 
ican birds] 
Auk.,  XIV.      1897.     pp.  275-278 

Mitchell,  H.  P. 

'96       Nestling  down. 

Wilson   Orn.    Chapt.   Agassiz  Assoc.  Bull.,  No.  9.      1896. 
PP-  2>  3 

Miiller,  J.  W.  von 

'53       Ueber  den  Farbenwechsel  der  Vogel 

Journ.  /.   Orn.,  I.      1853.      pp.    327-338 

Miiller,  J.  W.  von 

'55       Des   changements  qui    s'operent   dans  la   coloration    des 
oiseaux 

Rev,  et  Mag.  de  Zool.,  ser.  2,  VII.      1855.     pp.  113-121, 
161—167 

Miiller,  K.* 

'78       Beobachtung  uber  den  Federwechsel  der  Stubenvogel 
Zool.  Gart.,  XIX.      1878.      pp.  317-318 

ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  Sci.,  XIII,  Oct.  31,  1900 — 22. 


342  DWIGHT 

Shufeldt,  R.  W. 

'90       Notes  upon  Coccothraustes  vespertina  as  a  cagebird 

Auk,  VII.      1890.      pp.  93-95 

Shufeldt,  R.  W. 

'91       A  female  Piranga  rubra  assuming  the  plumage  of  the  male 

Auk,  VIII.      1891.     pp.  3J5-3l6 

Shufeldt,  R.  W. 

'97       Notes  on  the  moult  and  certain  plumage  phases  of  Piranga 

rubra 

Auk,  XIV.      1897.     pp.  406,  407 

Skillen,  J. 

'94       The  change    from  winter  to  spring  plumage  in  the  male 
Bobolink  {Dolichonyx  oryzivorus*) 
Auk,  XI.      1894.     p.  180 

Stieda,  L. 

'69       Ueber  Bau  und  Entwickelung  der  Federn 

St.  Petersb.  med.  Zeitschr.,  XVII.      1869.      pp.  185-191 

Stieda,  L. 

'72       Ueber  den  Bau  der  rothen  Blattchen  an  den  Schwingen  des 
Seidenschwanzes  {AmpeKs  garrulus} 

Arch.f.mikr.Anat.,Vll\.      1872.      pp.  639-642,  figs.  1-3 
[Abstr.  byE.  Coues.]      N.  Y.  Independent,  Aug.  12,  1875 

Stone,  W. 

'96       The  molting  of  birds  with  special  reference  to  the  plum- 
ages of  the  smaller  land  birds  of  Eastern  North  America 
Proc.   Acad.   Nat.   ScL,    (Phila.)      1896.     pp.    108-167, 
pis.  IV,  V 
Reviewed  by  Palmer,  W.,  Auk,  XIII.      1896.     pp.  240- 

243 

Notice  in  Ibis,  7th  ser.,  V.      1899.     p.  466 

Stone,  W. 

'97       Spring  moult  in  Spinus  pinus 
Auk,  XIV.      1897.     p.  320 

Stone,  W. 

'99       Winter  plumages  :— Illustrated  by  the  Rose-breasted  Gros- 
beak {Zamelodia  ludoviciana} 
Auk,  XVI.      1899.     PP-  305~3°8>  pl-  IV 
Stone,  W. 

1900     Report  on  the  birds  and  mammals  collected  by  the  Mcll- 
henny  expedition  to  Point  Barrow,  Alaska 
Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Set.  (Phila.).      1900.     pp.  4-49 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF  NEW  YORK  343 

Streets,  T.  H. 

'83  A  study  of  the  immature  plumage  of  the  North  American 
Shrikes,  to  show  their  descent  from  a  common  progenitor 
Amer.  Nat.,  XVII.  1883.  pp.  389-391 

Studer,  T. 

'73       Die  Entwicklung  der  Federn 
Inaug.-Diss.,  Bern.      1873 

Studer,  T. 

'78       Beitrage  zur  Entwicklungsgeschichte  der  Feder 

Zeitsch.  f.  wiss.  Zool.,  XXX,    Heft  3.      1878.     pp.   421— 
436,  pis.  XXV,  XXVI 

Sundevall,  C.  J. 

'43       Om  foglarnes  vingars 

Kon.  Vetenskaps-Akad.  HandL      1843.      pp.  303—384,  pis. 
I,  II 

[German  translation]    ' '  Ueber  die  Fliigel  der  Vogel ' ' 
Journ.  f.  Orn.,  III.      1855.     PP-  118-168,  pi.  I  (folded) 
[English  translation]    "  On  the  wings  of  birds  " 
Ibis,  5th  ser.  IV.      1886.     pp.  389-457,  pis.  X,  XI 
See  also  Isis.      1846.     pp.  324-366 

Thompson,  E.  E. 

'94       Hybrid  Pinicola  enucleator  -f-  Carpodacus  purpureus 
Auk,  XI.      1894.     pp.  1-3,  col'd   pi.  I 

Townsend,  C.  H. 

'82  Remarkable  plumage  of  the  Orchard  Oriole  [Icterus  spurius\ 
Bull.  Nutt.  Orn.  Club,  VII.  1882.  p.  181 

Trotter,  S. 

'87       The   significance  of  certain  phases  in  the  genus  Helmi- 
thophila 
Auk,  IV.      1887.     pp.  307-310 

Tschusi  (-Schmidhoffen),  V.  von* 

'66  Beitrage  zur  Farbenveranderung  der  Vogel  in  Weiss  u. 
Schwarz 

Verhandl.  d.  kais.-konigl.  zool.-bot.  Gesell.  (Wien),   XVI. 
1866.     pp.  223,  224 

Tyrer,  R.  * 

'77       Ueber  die  Vertarbung  des  Kreuzschnabels 
Gefied.    Welt.  VI.      1877.     pp.  209,  210 


344  DWIGHT 

Waldeyer  * 

'82       Untersuchungen    fiber  die    Histogenie   der    Horngebilde, 
insbesonders  der  Haare  und  Federn 

Beitrage  zur  Anat.  u.  Embryo  L   als  Festschrift  fur  Jacob 
Henle,  Bonn.      1882 

Wayne,  A.  T. 

'91       An  abnormal  specimen  of  the  Nonpareil  {Passerina  ciris} 
Auk,  VIII.      1891.     p.  395 

Weinland,  D.  F. 

'56        Zur  Verfarbung  der  Vogelfeder  ohne  Mauserung 
Journ.  f.   Orn.,  IV.      1856.      pp.  125-129 

Weinland,  D.  F. 

'56-'59    The  cause  of  the  change  of  color  in  the  feathers  of  birds, 
and  in  the  hairs  of  Mammalia,  and  the  manner  in  which 
this  change  is  effected 
Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  VI.      1856-59     pp.  34-37 

Weiske,  H.* 

'89       Untersuchungen  iiber  die  Qualitat  der  Vogelknochen  und 
Federn  in  verschiedenen  Altersstadien 
Landwirthschaftlichen    Versuchsstationen,   XXXVI.      1889. 
p.  81 

Wheelwright,  G. 

'62       On  the  change  of  plumage  in  the  Crossbills  and  Pine  Gros- 
beak 

Zoologist,   XX.      1862.      pp.    8001,  8002.      Quoted  from 
"Field"  (newspaper),  March  22,  1862 

Wheelwright,  G. 

'63       Change  of  plumage  in  the  Crossbills 
Zoologist,  XXI.      1863.     p.  8492 

Quoted  from  "Field"  (newspaper),  November  15,  1862 
Whitear,  W. 

'18       Remarks  on  the  changes  of  the  plumage  of  birds 

Trans.  Linn.  Soc.     (London.)     XII.     pt.  2.      1818.     pp. 


Wray,  R.  S. 

'87       On  some  points  in  the  morphology  of  the  wings  of  birds 

Proc.   Zool.  Soc.,      (London.)      1887.     PP-    343-357,  pis 
XXIX-XXXII  (XXX  and  XXXII  col'd) 


PASSERINE   BIRDS   OF   NEW  YORK  345 

Wray,  R.  S. 

'87       On  the  structure  of  the  barbs,  barbules  and  barbicels  of  a 
typical  pennaceous  feather 
Ibis,  5th  ser.,  V.      1887.     pp.  420-423,  pi.  XII 

Yarrell,  W. 

'33       [Observations  on  the  changes  of  plumage  in  birds.] 
Proc.  Zool.  Soc.      (London.)     1833.     pp.  9,  10. 

Yarrell,  W. 

'33       [On  the  laws  that  regulate  the  changes  of  plumage  in  birds.] 
Proc.  Zool.  Soc.      (London.)      1833.     p.  56 

Yarrell,  William 

'35       Observations  on  the  laws  which  appear  to  influence  the  as- 
sumption and  changes  of  plumage  in  birds 
Trans.  Zool.  Soc.      (London.)     I.      1835.     pp.  13-19 
[Preliminary   mention    in]     Proc.  Zool.  Soc.,  I.      1833. 
pp.  9,  10,  56. 


PLATE  I. 


(347) 


PLATE  I 
DWIGHT — PLUMAGE  AND  MOULT 

Photograph  showing  the  natural  size,  pattern  and  wear  of  the  prin- 
cipal feathers  of  Dolichonyx  oryzivorus,  a  Passerine  bird.  They  are 
all  from  males  and  some  of  the  buff  winter  feathers  have  printed  so 
much  darker  than  they  actually  are  that  they,  unfortunately,  appear 
to  be  black. 

Figs.  1-6.     Throat,  September  2d  (J.  D.  Jr.,  No.  5125). 

7.  Middle  rectrix,  "  "  "  " 

8.  Secondary,  "  "  "  " 

9.  Tertiary,  "  "  "  " 

10.  Primary,  "  "  "  " 

11.  Dorsal  feathers,  "  "  "'  " 

12.  Scapulary,  "  "  " 

13.  Greater  covert,  "  "  "  " 

14.  Median  covert,  "  "  "  " 
15-16.  Lesser  coverts,  "  "  "  " 

17.  Crown,  "  "  "  " 

18.  Forehead,  "          "          "  " 
19-20.     Side,                              "           "           "  " 

21.  Flank,  "          "          "  " 

22.  Breast,  "  "  "  " 

23.  New  black  breast  feather,   March  ist   (Amer.    Mus. 

Nat.  Hist.,  No.  32873). 

24.  Worn  black  breast  feather,  May  i7th  (J.  D.,  Jr.,  No. 

2164). 

25.  Much  worn  black  breast  feather,  July  2d  (J.  D.,  Jr., 

No.   1227). 

26.  New  buff  abdominal  feather,  Sept.    2d  (J.    D.,  Jr., 

No.  5125). 

27.  Worn  buff  abdominal  feather,  March  ist  (Amer.  Mus. 

Nat.  Hist.,  No.  32873). 

28.  Partly  worn  black  abdominal  feather,   May  i7th  (J. 

D.,  Jr.,  No.  2164). 

29.  Much  worn  black  abdominal  feather,  July  2d  (J.  D 

Jr.,  No.  1227). 

(348) 


ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  SCI.     XII  f. 


PLATE  I. 


f    f    f    f 


|5  |6 


>3  '4  '5       :i6  17  .'19          |20 


2   I 


22  23  24  25  26  27  28 


PLATE  II, 


(349) 


PLATE  II 

DWIGHT — PLUMAGE  AND  MOULT 

Photograph  of  feathers,  natural  size,  from  birds  of  various  species 
illustrating  some  seasonal  effects  of  moult  and  wear.  The  numbers 
are  those  of  male  specimens  in  my  collection. 

Fig.     i.     Ammodramus  savannarum  passerinus.     Juvenal  Plumage 
tertiary,  Sept.  i6th  (No.  68). 

2.  Ammodramus    savannarum    passerinus.      First    Winter 

Plumage  tertiary,  Sept.  iyth  (No.  3468). 

3.  Ammodramus  savannarum  passerinus.       First    Nuptial 

Plumage  tertiary,  June  i9th  (No.  2904). 

4.  Spinus  tristis.     First  Winter  Plumage  tertiary,  Jan.  1 3th 

(No.  6356). 

5.  Spinus   tristis.     First    Nuptial    Plumage  tertiary,   Aug. 

26th  (No.  387). 

6.  Tachycineta   bicolor.     Adult  Winter  Plumage   tertiary, 

Aug.  24th  (No.  6075). 

7.  Tachycineta  bicolor.     Adult  Nuptial   Plumage  tertiary, 

May  i2th  (No.  749). 

8.  Icterus  galbula.     Juvenal  Plumage  tertiary,   July  28th 

(No.  536). 

9.  Icterus  galbula.     First  Nuptial  Plumage  tertiary,  May 

1 5th  (No.  627). 

10.  Icterus  galbula.     Adult  Nuptial  Plumage  tertiary,  May 

1 7th  (No.  2163). 

11.  Icterus  galbula.      First  Nuptial  Plumage,  tip  of  rectrix, 

May  i5th  (No.  627). 

12.  Icterus  galbula.     Adult  Nuptial  Plumage,  tip  of  rectrix, 

May  1 7th  (No.  2163). 

13.  Sturnella  magna.      First  Winter  Plumage,  breast  feather, 

Oct.  2d  (No.  5146). 

14.  Sturnella  magna.    First  Nuptial  Plumage,  breast  feather, 

July  1 6th  (No.  3389). 

15.  Sturnella  magna.     Juvenal  Plumage  tertiary,   July  7th 

(No.  1237). 

1 6.  Sturnella  magna.     First  Winter  Plumage  tertiary,  Oct. 

2d  (No.  5146). 

17.  Sturnella  magna.      First  Nuptial  Plumage  tertiary,  July 

1 6th  (No.  3389). 

1 8.  Tyrannus  tyrannus.     Juvenal  Plumage,  tips  of  first  and 

second  primaries,  Aug.  3oth  (No.  6098). 

19.  Tyrannus  tyrannus.      First  Nuptial  Plumage,  tips  of  first 

and  second  primaries,  April  7th  (No.  6458). 

20.  Chelidon  erythrogastra.   Juvenal  Plumage,  lateral  rectrix, 

Aug.  6th  (No.  1991). 

2 1 .  Chelidon  erythrogastra.      First  Nuptial  Plumage,  lateral 

rectrix,  May  22d  (No.  2185). 
(350) 


ANNALS  N.  V.  At'AI).  SCI.     XIII 


2          3 


17 


PLATE  III 


(351) 


PLATE  III 

DWIGHT — PLUMAGE  AND  MOULT 

Photograph  showing  location  of  the  Pterylse  or  Feather  Tracts  of 
a  Passerine  bird.  Natal  Down  or  neossoptiles  may  be  seen  at  the 
tips  of  the  juvenal  feathers  which  are  just  breaking  from  their  follicles. 
The  specimen  a  young  Robin  {Merula  migratoria),  five  days  out  of 
the  egg,  is  photographed  life  size. 

Fig.  i.   .  Superior  Aspect  of  the  Feather  Tracts. 

1.  Alar  or  Wing  Tract. 

2.  Humeral  or  Shoulder  Tract. 

3.  Capital  or  Head  Tract. 

4.  Dorsal  or  Spinal  Tract. 

6.  Lumbar  or  Thigh  Tract. 

7.  Crural  or  Leg  Tract. 

8.  Caudal  or  Tail  Tract. 

Fig.  2.     Inferior  Aspect  of  the  Feather  Tracts. 

i.     Alar  Tract. 

3.     Capital  Tract  (lateral  view.) 

5.  Ventral  or  Inferior  Tract  (dividing  into  two  lateral 

bands). 
7.      Crural  Tract. 

(352) 


A X N ALS  N.  Y.  ACAI).  SC I.     XIII. 


PLATE  III. 


PLATE  IV. 


(353) 
ANNALS  N.  Y.  ACAD.  SCL,  XIII,  Oct.  31,  1900-23. 


PLATE  IV 
DWIGHT — PLUMAGE  AND  MOULT 

Ca rpodacus  parpureus. — Photomicrographs  illustrating  some  of  the 
plumages.     (Enlargement  about  20  diameters.) 

Fig.  i.  Juvenal  Plumage,  crown  feather,  showing  loose  struc- 
ture. (J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  No.  1288, July  23d.) 

Fig.  2.  First  Winter  Plumage,  crown  feather,  nearly  new.  (J. 
Dwight,  Jr.,  No.  5223,  Oct.  lyth. ) 

Fig.  3.  First  Nuptial  Plumage,  crown  feather  which  is  identical 
with  a  first  winter  feather  plus  wear,  no  moult  inter- 
vening. (J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  No.  260,  April  23d.) 

(354) 


ANNALS  N.  V.  ACAD.  SCI.     XIII. 


PLATK  I\' 


PLATE  V. 


(355) 


PLATE  V 
DWIGHT— PLUMAGE    AND  MOULT 

Photomicrographs  illustrating  Natal  Down  adhering  to  tips  of  Ju- 
venal Plumage  feathers. 

Fig.  i.  Dolichonyx  oryzivorus,  crown  feather  bearing  Natal 
Down.  Specimen  in  the  collection  of  J.  Dwight,  Jr. , 
No.  1943,  July  28th.  (Enlargement  about  5  dia- 
meters. ) 

Fig.  2.  Cistothorus  palustris,  crown  feather  bearing  Natal 
Down.  Specimen  in  the  collection  of  J.  Dwight  Jr., 
No.  4214,  Aug.  2oth.  (Enlargement  about  15  dia- 
meters.) 

(356) 


ANNALS  N.  Y.  AC  A  I).  SCI.     XIII. 


PLATK  V. 


PLATE  VI 


(  357  ) 

V 


PLATE   VI 
DWIGHT — PLUMAGE  AND  MOULT 

Passerina   cyanea. — Photomicrographs   illustrating   some    of    the 
plumages.      (Enlargement  about  20  diameters.) 

Fig.    i.     First  Winter  Plumage,  brown  throat  feather,  newly  grown. 

(J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  No.  2451,  Sept.  23d.) 
Fig.    2.     First  Winter  Plumage,  gray  throat  feather,  worn.      (U. 

S.  Nat.  Mus.,  No.  107845,  March  nth.)     This  figure 

does  not  do  the  actual  feather  justice. 
Fig.   3.   First  Nuptial  Plumage,  blue  throat  feather,  new.      It  was 

still  clasped  by  its  sheath,  and  was  growing  beside  the 

gray  feather  shown  as  Fig.  2. 

(358) 


ANNALS  X.  Y.  ACAD.  SCI.     XIII. 


PLATE  VI. 


PLATE  VII. 


(359) 


PLATE  VII 


DWIGHT — PLUMAGE   AND  MOULT 

Photomicrographs  illustrating  the  apparent  brightening  of  color  in 
certain  feathers.  See  explanation  on  pages  80,  173-175.  (Enlarge- 
ment about  15  diameters.) 

Fig.  i.  Carpodacus  purpureus.  Adult  Winter  Plumage,  crown 
feather  slightly  worn.  (Collection  of  J.  Dwight,  Jr., 
No.  894,  Oct.  29th.) 

Fig.  2.  Carpodacus  purpureus.  Adult  Nuptial  Plumage,  crown 
feather,  equivalent  to  Fig.  i  plus  wear  and  consequent 
lossofbarbules.  (J.  Dwight,  Jr.,  No.  3616,  July  7th.) 

Fig.  3.  Loxia  curvirostra  minor.  Adult  Winter  Plumage,  newly 
grown  breast  feather  (the  sheath  was  adherent).  (J. 
Dwight,  Jr.,  No.  1529,  Oct.  loth.) 

Fig.  4.  Loxia  curvirostra  minor.  First  Nuptial  Plumage,  worn 
breast  feather.  It  was  situated  beside  the  one  just 
shown  (Fig.  3),  which  it  closely  resembled  when  first 
developed,  a  year  previously. 

(360) 


ANNALS  N.*Y.  ACAU.  SCI.     XIII. 


PLATE  VII. 


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